Friendly Rivalry
by firefox369
Summary: IYxBlack Cat Train has been famous for his deadly accuracy and his ability to give bad luck. What happens when a girl he never even knew existed suddenly appears and beats the crap out of him? ADOPTED BY Yur-Fluffyness.
1. Chapter 1

A lone wolf walked in front of a large mansion, stopping near the gates and lifting it's head up to the moon. It gave one, long, haunting howl, and then sniffed the air before turning its head to look behind itself. It gave a slight wag of its tail as a shadow appeared beside it and patted it's head.

"Good boy" the shadow cooed as the shadow's violet eyes wandered over to the mansion. They narrowed slightly. Then they were gone. Both were gone as if they never existed. The lights in the mansion suddenly went out, all of them at the same time, and there were sounds of a struggle. Screams were heard, along with gunshots. Then silence. Two shadows could later be seen walking down the path of the mansion, one shorter than the other. Gold eyes stared into violet ones. Then there was nothing. No noise, no lights, and no movement other than the slight rustling of the leaves. Everything was dead.

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Scream. Bang. Death. Blood. Four simple words, yet those four words described my entire past, present, and future. How wierd it is, to look back on things now and realise that I've become something I never even thought about becoming in the first place. I suppose you kind of have to expect that when your parents sell you to the leader of the Chronos Numbers when you were just a baby so that they could pay off their debts.

Life has been hard. I haven't been able to go outside during the day because of where my number was marked on me. I wasn't even supposed to be known. Every time I pulled off an assassination one of the other numbers recieved the credit. There were only supposed to be 13 numbers in the Chronos organization. I just threw off the balance. The number was a "freak accident" that they decided didn't work, so they decided to "erase" me from the government records. Apparently I no longer exist. All because of a stupid mistake that my adoptive father made. He refused to have a number 14, even after he branded me when I was only four years old. Yeah. I was just that good.

When I was four, after he branded me, he sent me out on one of his most dangerous missions. Because of my small size and age, I completed it with ease. Too bad my number was seen in the process. He recieved a lot of resumes after that, from random people that wanted to be a Number. There were tons of complaints, too. Something about child abuse or something like that. Now I work in the darkness, rarely seeing the light of day unless I put on tons of make up on my thigh. Because I was so young, they couldn't mark just anywhere. They marked my thigh, so I'm not allowed to walk outside unless I have pants on. No shorts, dresses, or skirts allowed. I usually cover that small area on my leg with a gun holster when I go on missions just in case, anyways, though.

One of the missions I got, though, was weird. I was assigned to sneak in to a house and retrieve a boy. He was a few years older than me, about two or three, when I first saw him. His parents were killed, and apparently, he had skills and abilities that would prove to be extremely useful to my adoptive father. It made me jealous, but I did the mission as he told me to. After the boy was retrieved, I was tossed to the side like a broken toy, never to be used again until it has been found a few years later and nostalgic thoughts come back.

I hated that boy. I was thinking about killing him when I first saw him. He took away everything from me. He took away all the attention I would ever get, and what made me more jealous was the fact that HE got to be number 13. Not me, HIM. I had more experience with fighting and everything imagineable in that department, but he was chosen, not me. According to my father, I would never be a part of the Numbers because of the mark that was already given to me. 14 would always be 14, nothing else. I could not become any other Number. I was branded and stuck with the stupid number 14. A number that would never be called upon, a number whose spotlight would always be given to all of the other Numbers, especially 13. Most of the missions that _I_ did, _number 13 _got credit for. I was a tool, and that was all. I was a tool that was being used to give all of the others more fame while I stayed in the darkness myself. Well, that would all change. I would make sure of that. Number 14 would become famous, whether that stupid Willgar liked it or not. I was going to catch everyone's eye. I would blow a mission that was assigned to Number 13 but was passed on to me. I would show that damned Train what it was like to have everything taken away from you. Everything that you worked so hard to achieve being ripped apart and shredded because of another person, that's what I would show him. And hell, does that hurt.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I gave a quick glance towards my wolf and it ran ahead of me, giving the signal to the cat to come out, a loud, yet sharp bark. The black cat raced across the street and jumped through a window that led to the party that I was supposed to crash.

There were screams of shock and I smiled when the targeted person froze in fear. I hopped through the window and watched his bodyguards' movements. They pulled out their guns and began to fire. I predicted the bullets' paths and dodged. I purposely let one scrape my thigh to rip my pants and reveal the roman numeral. I pulled my hair out of my wig and threw the wig to the ground, pulling out the gun from the holster that I purposely placed on my other leg, and shot my target, killing him. I smiled when I saw their eyes widen. I was revealed. Only one guard saw my face before the lights went out, and I made sure to kill him.

I stood calmly, smiling as I listened to the chaos around me. I heard a howling from outside and ran towards the window. I hopped through it and landed beside my wolf. I patted it's head as Train's cat jumped on to my shoulder. I had a thing for animals, and although I completely hated Train himself, I couldn't being myself to hate his cat.

I smirked, and disappeared. A little trick that I had learned from some random guy that appeared in my dreams. I smiled as I appeared by the front doors of the Chronos headquarters. I slammed open the front doors to meet the cold stares eyes of my father. My smile grew larger.

"You blew the mission" he ground out and I shrugged.

"Mistakes happen" I stated nonchalantly, walking past him. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.

"You weren't supposed to be known of, not even by the Numbers!" he snarled and I glared.

"You can't expect me to hide in the darkness forever, dad. Face it. You knew this would've happened eventually. Why didn't you let me become a number sooner? Why not let there be a 14th? This wouldn't have ever happened if you let me become a number instead of erasing me from the government records!"

"It had to be done" he growled.

I growled, baring my teeth. It was a little habit that I learned from my dear pet. "No. It didn't. You just thought that it was necessary because it made your life that much simpler."

"You..." he growled, deciding to keep the rest in his mind. I was a good choice on his part. Plus, his growls were pathetic. They might be able to scare a lot of people, but it didn't scare me one bit.

"Don't 'you' me!" I snarled, deciding to show him how pathetic his skills were when it came to scaring people. He took a step back, never seeing this side of me before. "You brought this on to yourself. You know you did, so stop blaming me for all of your problems!"

"Willgar...?" a voice asked from the shadows and I decided to take my leave. I saw yellow eyes before I disappeared and 'teleported' away.

I appeared only a few feet away, in another set of shadows. I concealed my presence and listened on.

"Who was that?" I heard the man ask.

"No one of any importance."

I held back the urge to snort in disgust.

"That person must be important to have you shivering in fear. Who was it?"

Maybe Train wasn't as stupid as I thought he was. Then again, anyone could tell that I was someone important, and Willgar really was shivering in fear. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back.

"...gather the other Numbers, Train. Gather them as fast as you can. There is something I need to tell you, and it cannot wait any longer. Its already been 14 years."

Train suddenly disappeared and I spun around, expecting to see him behind me, but he never showed up. I gues he decided to be a good kitty and retrieve the others. I felt something sniffing my hand and I gently patted my pet wolf's head.

"Take that damned mutt and go to you room. I'll call for you when I'm ready" I heard Willgar mumble and I shot him a death glare. I could see another shiver run down his spine as I disappeared, and then reappeared, this time in my room.

I plopped on to my bed and waited, staring out the window at the still blood red moon. The eerie red glow illuminated my room with the crimson color blood. I didn't have lights or any form of it because my father didn't want anything to now that I existed. A light in his mansion with the sillhouette of a gil was not a good way to keep me concealed.

I would get my freedom eventually, however. It was just a question of when, where, and how. I silently vowed that I would get out of this hell hole eventually, no matter what it took. If I had to kill all the Numbers, so be it. Nothing would stand in my way on my path to freedom. Caged. That's what I was. I wasn't a caged bird. No. I was a trapped wolf, being forced to be tamed in harsh ways. That's when my door opened and the light of the hallways flooded my room. I squinted and noticed some dark shapes moving around until my eyes adjusted. The first shape ended up being the famed Train Heartnet. Number XIII of the Chronos Numbers. As I said earlier, my hate for him holds no boundaries.

His yellow eyes stared in to my violet ones, his brown hair moving in to his eyes. They narrowed and I returned the look.

"So you were the one that had Willgar shivering his boots off" he grumbled. I didn't respond. I merely stared past him and saw the other Numbers. How large and stupid they looked compared to Train. I returned my gaze to Train and he stared in to my eyes, as if trying to stare in to my soul. I smiled, showing my abnormally long canines. So I fused some of my wolf's blood with mine, what was the harm in that? Not like I, or my wolf, died in the process.

I noticed them all take a step back, deep in thought.

"You don't look like much" Train commented and I let out a low growl. One that I made sure only reached his ears, and his alone. He began to return the growl and I was about to sick my wolf on him when a random black cat jumped out of nowhere and landed on my shoulder, meowing contedly. I looked at it and gave a genuine smile, scratching it's chin. It purred and I heard Train's growl grow in volume.

I returned my gaze to him, giving him a warning glare as I looked at my wolf. If he wanted to start a fight, so be it. I would have him on the floor with a hole in his forehead before anyone could blink. I've seen how he worked. Quick and accurate, yes, but that was the thing. He didn't have as much strength. Like his nickname, the Black Cat, he was fast, accurate, agile, and gave tons of bad luck. I, however, like my wolf, was a loner. I relied on no one to get my job done. I worked hard to get to my status, I was fast, nimble, lightfooted, accurate, and strong.

I noticed a quick movement of his right arm and my left arm instinctively flew to the holster and grabbed the gun that was on my left thigh. I placed it back there, feeling more comfortable. He aimed and shot, but I dodged and ran up to his face. I felt another bullet fly past my face as I went up to his. His eyes widened in surprise and he gave a small gasp as I pressed my gun into the bottom of his chin. I kicked the gun out of his hand before he could realise what was going on, and I stood straight up, making sure to keep the gun where it was. He sent me a cold glare and I watched the other numbers. They gave small smiles and smirks. They knew not to mess with me now.

I looked at Train and smirked, squeezing the trigger. Willgar ran in, alarmed, and tried to stop me, but all of us knew he wouldn't make it in time.

"Bang" I whispered in Train's ear as I pulled the trigger and I could feel him flinch. The gun gave an empty click and I saw that his eyes were shut. I stepped back and looked into his emotionless eyes. "Improve your skills, Train Heartnet. I wasn't even trying. Get better and challenge me when you're strong enough to be considered a threat" I spat, and then disappeared.

---------------------------------------- Train------------------------------------------

I felt the others leave the room and I collapsed to my knees. Thank god they left. Thank god they didn't notice me trembling. She was good. A lot better than I had expected her to be. How could she have defeated me so eaislly? That wasn't right. No one could defeat me, Train Heartnet, The Black cat, Number XIII, without breaking a sweat or without getting hurt. She was almost...alien.

I slowly got to my feet, picking up my gun, Hades, and walked out of the room. I looked down at my trembling hands and shakily placed the gun back in to its holster. I looked around the hallway and found it empty of all life other than the plants and my cat. I sighed and thought about what had happened. If she wanted me to train and improve, I would show her just how much I could improve. I gave a small smirk and walked down the hall, towards the training room. I was shocked to see the girl from before already there. I could see her gracefully jumping and dodging the holographic dummies, and "destroying" them one by one when the intercom turned on.

"Get out of there. One of the Numbers have come for a visit."

"Fine" she hissed and glared in my direction. "Damn you, Train Heartnet" she snarled and then disappeared, leaving the holograms there looking for the target. I quickly raced to the control room and looked at the difficulty level, expecting it to be the same level as mine, if not a tiny bit lower. I had a monstrous ego. I was once again shocked to see that it was set to the hardest level, compared to me, who couldn't make it past intermediate. She didn't seem to be having too much trouble, either. That made my blood boil.

"Damn me?" I repeated, "Damn you, show off..."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters! I know I forgot to put it in the last chapter but I have it now!!!! None if these characters are mine!

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 2

Last Chapter...

_If she wanted me to train and improve, I would show her just how much I could improve. I gave a small smirk and walked down the hall, towards the training room. I was shocked to see the girl from before already there. I could see her gracefully jumping and dodging the holographic dummies, and "destroying" them one by one when the intercom turned on._

_"Get out of there. One of the Numbers have come for a visit."_

_"Fine" she hissed and glared in my direction. "Damn you, Train Heartnet" she snarled and then disappeared, leaving the holograms there looking for the target. I quickly raced to the control room and looked at the difficulty level, expecting it to be the same level as mine, if not a tiny bit lower. I had a monstrous ego. I was once again shocked to see that it was set to the hardest level, compared to me, who couldn't make it past intermediate. She didn't seem to be having too much trouble, either. That made my blood boil._

_"Damn me?" I repeated, "Damn you, show off..."_

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Present...

I glared my frustration as i was once again knocked to the ground and defeated by an intermediate dummy. Damn, this was getting annoying... I got back up when the dummies were turned off and looked at Wilgar. He had an amused smirk on his face that I just wanted to rip off. My eyes narrowed when the smirk turned in to pity. I could feel my lips beginning to curve in to a small snarl.

"Now, now, Train," his voice stated throught the speaker, "tell me and I'll turn the dummies back on, okay?"

"Turn the damn thing back on, Wilgar!" I growled. I would not be beaten by that..._girl_... I would make her pay for what she did.

The dummies turned back on and I looked at them, watching them with my eyes. One of them lunged at me and I dodged, shoving its back and increasing its momentum. It skidded to a halt and turned around, lunging again. This time, the others came at me, too. I was about to block when there was a shout from the control room. I flinched and was kicked in the stomach, being slammed in to the wall. I groaned as the dummies were immediately turned off.

"I can't believe you lied to me all of these years, Wilgar!" I heard a girl shout and my eyes followed the noise to see the black-haired girl from before standing there.

"Listen to me, Kagome, its nothing new. Calm-" Wilgar began, trying to sound calm.

"It might not be new to you, but I am through with this! You can't keep me hidden forever!" Kagome interrupted. "I'm leaving, whether you like it or not!"

"I'd like to see you try, Kagome!" Wilgar snarled.

"No, I'd like to see _you_ try. We both know that I can kill you and all of your dumb Numbers without breaking a sweat. I'm leaving."

"Kagome..." Wilgar growled but she was gone. Disappeared. Non-existent. I quickly looked away as Wilgar looked towards me. I scowled.

"Are you going to turn the stupid dummies back on or what?" I demanded. The dummies began to make their way around me, looking me over. I couldn't concentrate, however, and was easilly beaten.

"Go rest, Train, your mind isn't here right now" Wilgar stated throught the speaker and I gave a small nod agreeing. I couldn't practice anymore, not for now. Why was that girl, Kagome, so upset? What had Wilgar done to piss her off now? I shook my head, trying to clear my brain. The girl was still in my head, and all I could think about was revenge. I wanted to hurt her.

---------------------------Kagome------------------------------

I appeared in front of a small house and looked up at it, beginning to admire my work. I had begun to build this house when I was very young, and as the years went on, I made changes and adjusted it to fit more modern technology. The house had everything I needed to survive. It had the moneyt hat I had made as both a "Number" and an anonymous sweeper. I had two jobs, sure, but they were basically the same thing. Find criminals, kill them or turn them in. Get reward. Done.

As I walked in to the house I saw myself in a mirror by the front door. I looked at myself in it and scowled. People would be able to recognize me so easilly... I walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a knife, then walked back over to the mirror. If the Numbers wanted to find me, they would have to search hard. I would make sure of that. I took a lock of hair and held it in front of my face, then slashed of the hair until it only reached my midback. I looked at the lock of hair that once reached my waist and sighed. I took another lock and continued to cut my hair until it was all only to my midback, just like the first lock I cut. I looked at my handiwork and shrugged. It would suffice for now. I took off my holster and looked at my Beretta 93R. I gave a small smile and hid it under my pillow. I went over to a makeshift closet and looked inside, taking out an outfit.

I sighed and changed, looking in the mirror when I was done. I smiled at myself, noticing that my pale complexion looked fairly normal. I wasn't EXTREMELY pale, but pale enough.

Walking back out of the house with the holster placed on my thigh again, I walked in to the middle of town and looked around for WANTED signs. I noticed one posted on the wall of a restaurant and went over to it. I froze. It was me. I took it off of the wall and looked at it. I would keep it, and use it later on to get the Chronos and Sweepers off of my back.

Continuing down the street, my ears picked up a soft meow. I instinctively turned towards the noise and saw a black cat on top of a garbage can lid, looking for food. I sighed, leaving it alone, only to come back later with a small dead fish in my hand. I fed it to the cat and smiled when it took it and bounded off. A shadow overlapped mine and I turned around to meet gold eyes. I mentally grimaced, I forgot to change my violet to a more common color, like blue. It was too late now, though.

"Gomen nasai... I didn't realise that it may have been your cat that I scared away" I stated softly, keeping my head down. I didn't want him to see my eyes, but he took it as a sign of respect. He was a spoiled young man... a very spoiled one... I slowly walked past him and I felt his eyes boring into my back. I began to stand up straight and continued walking when he raced in front of me. My eyes widened in surprise. This time I made sure to place an illusion over my eyes to make them look blue. I hesitated, trying to find a way past him.

"Who are you?" he asked softly. His tone was one that he used only with civilians. I could tell. Or maybe the tone he usually uses with me is because he hates me? Nah.

"I'm sorry, sir. My mother is waiting for me... I have to go..."

"At least tell me your name. You have a good way with animals. I may ask you to take care of my cat for me. He seems to have taken a liking to you."

I shook my head. "I can't. I'm too busy with my current job."

"oh..."

How gullible... I gave a small cry of glee in my mind. This really wasn't that bad after all.

"But I work in that bar over there" I stated, pointing to a pub. It was another job that I had kept secret from Wilgar. That pub was where I found most of my information for my missions. "The people in there have just about all the information that you could dream of. Some of them are rumors, but most proove to be true."

"...why are you telling me this?"

I gave a forced smile and pointed at a spot right below his collar bone. "Because I know that even the Numbers have to find information."

"I see" he mumbled and then turned away. "I'll have to visit that bar some time, then. It'll be nice to hear this 'information' you speak of."

_How wierd... he doesn't recognize me... and I barely did anything..._ I watched as he walked away and shrugged, continuing to look for more criminals to get rid of. I sighed when I saw a sign for a man that was only worth 1,000... but that wasn't enough. I needed something with a little bit more worth than that. I then saw the sun and judged the time. I groaned. Backtracking, I stood in front of that pub (which was more of a cafe than a pub...) that I had showed Train earlier. I took a deep breath, held it, and then slowly let it out. Shoving the doors open, I stepped in. I got the familiar stares and I walked to the back room, where the boss said that I could leave my uniform. I quickly changed, wearing the holster on my thigh, covering the XIV out of habit. Quickly putting my hair in a high ponytail as I walked out of the back room got me even more stares. I walked over to the waittress but she scowled.

"No. That won't do. You know how our boss wants us to look, Kagome."

"But Sango..." I whined.

"I know, I know... I don't want to do it either. I look like a frick'n slut, but I'm not doing this alone, okay? Besides, we both know that we can easilly beat up any of these guys. That's why the boss hired us" Sango argued.

"Fine" I sighed as I walked back in to the back room, "I hate this job..."

I walked over to a counter and opened a drawer, seeing the stacks and stacks of makeup. I quickly put on some black eyeliner and mascara, and some blue eyeshadow. I looked in the mirror, wondering if Sango would notice that I wasn't wearing lipstick. I sighed again. Who was I kidding? I picked up the lipstick and put it on, then walked back in to the bar. I got even _more_ unwanted looks and stares.

"Why did I have to choose the job that involved so much sexual harrassment...?" I moaned, slapping my forehead. "I must have been dead when I saw the job description..."

"There we go, Kagome! That's what I'm talking about!" Sango chirped as one of the regulars' hand began to inch twards her bottom. She spun around and hit the man with the tray. "Dammit Miroku!" she screamed, "Keep your filthy hands to yourself!!!"

Said man gave a small twitch. I felt myself stifling a laugh when I felt a presence behind me. I slowly turned around and saw Wilgar. My eyes widened in shock, knowing that he would recognize me. Train was beside him. I took a step back, lips slightly parted. Sango saw my reaction and immediately took over.

"Hello there! Take a seat and we'll be right with you in a sec!" she chirped and they walked away, sitting at a table. She looked at me and I smiled.

"Thanks Sango" I mumbled and she glared.

"You owe me. You owe me big time" she stated and I nodded.

"I'll take care of your customers while you deal with them."

She nodded and I walked away, pad and pen in hand.

------------------------------Sango----------------------------------

What could have had Kagome so shaken up? I've never seen her like that before. It was almost as if the Numbers have come to take her away. Now that I thought about it, there was a wanted sign for her on a wall somewhere that I walked past today...

I looked at the two men and smiled.

"Hello again. I'm Sango and I'll be taking your orders today. What can I get you?" I asked sweetly and I saw that one of the men had gold, cat-like eyes. I looked the other. He seemed considerably older.

"I'll have a glass of milk" the one with gold eyes stated in a very smooth voice.

"Just a glass of water is fine" the older replied.

"Okay, is that all?"

"Yes, that's all."

"'Kay then, I'll be back with your beverages in a bit!"

As I walked away, I could feel eyes staring through my back. I felt a shiver run down my spine and I quickly went in to the kitchen, where I saw Kagome.

"Kagome, those guys scare the crap out of me!" I hissed and she gave me a cold glare.

"Can you finish serving them? I'll serve them next time. They might just become regulars."

Sango groaned. "Oh no... I don't need scary people as regulars... Miroku is bad enough...!"

I gave a knowing smile. " I know, I'm sorry. Don't worry. I'll serve them from now on. I just need one day to prepare."

"You better. If I have to do this to you again..."

"I know, I know, relax. It won't happen again."

"It better not..."

Kagome handed me a glass of milk and a glass of water. I took them and gave her a confused look.

"I never even told you what they wanted..." I mumbled and she gave a small laugh.

"I know them like the back of my hand... and... if they ask for my name... can you tell them that my name is Saya?"

"Okay..." I muttered and walked out the door. I saw the man with gold eyes staring after Kagome, watching her every movement. I gave a knowing smile.

"Here you go" I said politely as I gently placed the glasses in front of them. "If you need something else, don't hesitate to call any of-"

The man with gold eyes shot out of his seat when there was a scream of surprise and there was a cry of pain as a shattering of glass was heard.

"-us..."

I turned around and saw one of our customers pinned to the wall, a gun at his forehead. Kagome stood there, eyes wide and a puddle of beer below her. The remains of the broken glass strewn around her.

The surprise slowly faded out of her and she looked at the broken mug, face falling.

"I suggest you respect these women more" the man stated coldly. I then saw the XIII right below his collarbone.

_...so that's why she didn't want to serve them..._ I looked at Kagome's sad face and I knew that she couldn't afford to pay for the broken cup. She slowly went on all fours and began to clean the floor, gingerly taking the glass and sweeping it on to the tray with her hand.

"Yessir!" the threatened man squeaked and XIII dropped him. Kagome stood up, looking like she was mourning a dear friend. I knew that she was a sweeper during the other half of the day, but life was hard for her. It was very hard for her to find money to pay for the food she ate, even more to pay for the mug. The mug was a really expensive one, too.

She sighed and threw it in the trash before giving a small smile and starting to work again, but this time twice as hard. She had to get enough money to pay for the mug before the day was over. I knew that she wouldn't accept any money from me, either.

The man that ordered water just sat at the table, watching the scene with a glint of amusement in his eyes. XIII went back to his seat, taking a sip of his milk. He had a look of complete bliss when the white liquid went down his throat. I couldn't help but give a slight giggle.

"I'm sorry" I apologized, "I couldn't help it!"

"...who is she?" the man asked, motioning towards Kagome.

"Oh, her? Her name's Saya" I replied.

"Saya... that's a familiar name..." the man with the water murmured. "Call her over, please."

I hesitated, looking at her frantic form. I hated to see her like this, but it was either call her over or displease the customers. When the customers weren't happy, they didn't give good tips. Bad tips meant less money. Less money meant unhappy waitresses.

"Saya!" I hollered and she looked at me as if saying 'do I have to?!?!' I motioned her over and she gave a deep bow in apology to one of the customers before scurrying over.

"Yeah?"

"These two gentlemen wanted to see you."

"Oh..." she mumbled, looking at the Number.

"I guess I can handle the rest. You serve these two men here, okay?"

I nodded and walked away.

-------------------------------Kagome----------------------------------

_Oh no... oh no, oh no, oh no... I'm so dead...!_ However, despite my thoughts, I gave a warm smile.

"What can I do for you?"

I looked at Train, then Wilgar, expecting some sort of reply, but got none. They were listening in on all of the conversations around us, gathering information.

"You were right..." Train mumbled, taking another sip of his milk. "This place does give a lot of believable information."

I gave another forced smile. "It does, doesn't it? Many sweepers come here to sit down and just listen. Did you hear what you were looking for?"

Wilgar nodded. "We heard a lot more than we needed to."

"Okay, then. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"

"I think we're good to go."

I nodded and gave them their bill. They looked at it and dropped the money on the table, leaving. I picked up the cash and counted, scowling when I realised that they didn't leave a tip.

"...greedy buttmunches..." I whispered and cleaned the table, waiting for the next person to come in and take a seat.

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That's all for now, peeps! Don't know when the next chapter is going to be out so I apologize in advance if it doesn't come out for a reaalllllyyyy long time! heh heh... oh, plus, **_I NEED LOTS OF REVIEWS OR, LIKE SOME OTHER SERIES, THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE DISCONTINUED!!!!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 3

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Last Chapter...

Oh no... oh no, oh no, oh no... I'm so dead...! _However, despite my thoughts, I gave a warm smile._

_"What can I do for you?"_

_I looked at Train, then Wilgar, expecting some sort of reply, but got none. They were listening in on all of the conversations around us, gathering information._

_"You were right..." Train mumbled, taking another sip of his milk. "This place does give a lot of believable information."_

_I gave another forced smile. "It does, doesn't it? Many sweepers come here to sit down and just listen. Did you hear what you were looking for?"_

_Wilgar nodded. "We heard a lot more than we needed to."_

_"Okay, then. Would you like anything to eat or drink?"_

_"I think we're good to go."_

_I nodded and gave them their bill. They looked at it and dropped the money on the table, leaving. I picked up the cash and counted, scowling when I realised that they didn't leave a tip._

_"...greedy buttmunches..." I whispered and cleaned the table, waiting for the next person to come in and take a seat._

------------------------------------------------------------

By the time the last customer had left and I began cleaning up, Sango had already started to count the money she earned in tips. I sighed, dreading what was to come. I knew that I had not made enough money, and that I would have to suffer the consequences. The thing was, the boss didn't know of my past, and what I was capable of. When I was hired, he knew that I was good at fighting, but didn't know that fighting was my life.

Finishing washing the last plate, I sighed as I looked at the jar that held the money I had earned. Picking it up, I tipped it on to its side and watched the pitiful coins pour out. After the jar was empty, I picked up the first coin and began to count.

_one... two... three... four... five..._I groaned once I got to five. This was way too boring for a person of my calibur. I continued anyways, wanting to see how much money that I owed the boss. Sango looked at me from the corner of her eye, a small hint of worry could be seen. Scowling, I threw down the money that I had counted, which was still only five, and slammed my head against the table in frustration.

"Oh... my... god... I... hate... my... life..." I ground out and Sango's light laughter filled my ears.

"Relax Kagome," she laughed, "I'm sure the mug wasn't that expensive."

I gave her a look that said 'yeah right...' and she shrugged.

"Can't blame me for trying."

"...that mug... was his favorite type... he still has the complete set.."

"Had, Kags. Had the complete set."

"Shut up, Sango! I don't need to feel any worse!" I shouted and she laughed more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I can't help it! It's just that you _never_ break anything! And, you are _never_ frozen in place when a man tries to harrass you. Maybe it's because of the young man with gold eyes that so valiantly 'saved' you...?"

I snorted in disgust. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Sango?"

She nodded her head to show that she would. "Yeah, I would, actually."

I groaned and she laughed even more. The door suddenly slammed open and I spun around to see my boss, Kouga, standing there. He saw me and smiled, running over.

"Why, hello Kagome, how are you today?" he asked, taking my hands in his.

_Yep... must have been dead when I saw the ad... dead or drunk... though I sincerely hope it wasn't the latter..._

"Uhh... I'm fine, thanks for asking, Kouga..."

"You know that my offer still stands, right?" he asked and I gave a nervous laugh.

"Eh heh... yeah... but I'm still not accepting..."

"Why not?" he questioned as I tried to pull my hands out of his grip. Didn't work to well.

"Uhh... because... uh..." I frantically wracked my brain for an excuse. I then saw Sango behind Kouga, and evil glint in her eye.

_Oh no..._

"Um, excuse me" she politely interrupted and I expected the worst.

_Bad Sango..._

"Yes Sango?" Kouga answered and she gave an all too innocent smile.

_No. Sit. Don't speak. Bad Sango!_

"Well you see..."

_Don't you dare!!!_

She gave me a glance, a smile beginning to form on her lips.

_NO! ANYTHING BUT-_

"Kagome's already taken."

_STOP RIGHT THERE, SANGO!!!_

"By who?" Kouga asked, curious now.

_YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SIT THERE AND MOPE! YOU HEAR ME, KOUGA?! JUST SIT DOWN AND MOPE!!!!_

"Train Heartnet" she stated simply.

_I'LL KILL YOU SANGO!!! _I shot her a glare that would have killed her if she had seen it.

"Who's this Train Heartnet? I'll kill him!" Kouga snarled and I went pale.

_I'm screwed... anybody except Train... Hell, I would've chosen _Miroku_ over him..._

"Oh, he's Number 13 of the Chrono Numbers" Sango chirped and Kouga stopped his growling.

"You mean the Black Cat?" he asked and Sango nodded. Kouga turned towards me. "Is that true, Kagome?"

"Uh..."

"Yeah, it is!" Sango answered for me and I glared at her.

"No, it's not true, Kouga. Sango's making it all up" I replied.

His face relaxed and I mentally gave a sigh of relief. "So you're still able to take my offer?"

"Uh... sure..." I mumbled and his eyes lit up. He gave me a huge hug and I gave a hesitant laugh. Sango sighed and I realised that I should have just played along with her little lie. What was I thinking? That wasn't just a _little_ lie, it was a _huge_ lie.

"Oh, and Kagome?" Kouga mumbled, letting go of me and holding me at arms length.

"Yeah...?" I answered. Here came the question.

"What happened to the last mug in my collection?"

I sweatdropped. "I...uh... eh heh... I kind of broke it..."

Kouga's face darkened. "You... _broke_ it...?"

"Um... yeah..."

"Do you know how much that mug cost?"

"A lot...?"

"Yeah. Can you afford it?"

"...no..."

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay... you're working full time until you can afford to pay for it, got that?"

"...yessir..." I mumbled with a bow and he nodded in approval before leaving. I sighed with relief.

"That was close..." I whispered and Sango looked at me.

"Why didn't you play along?" she asked.

"Are you crazy, Sango?!?! Train hates me!!!"

"I'm not so sure about that... he seemed to reeeaaaallly like you earlier today."

"Well I hate him, so it still wouldn't work out."

"Why do you hate him? If you don't mind me asking."

I gave her a look that made her shut up. She sighed. Turning towards the door, I gave a small wave and walked out, leaving her to do the rest of the cleaning.

------------------Train------------------

"Wilgar" I mumbled and he looked at me. "She looked really familiar."

"Yeah? Well, she's Saya. The sweeper."

"What does that have to do with it?" I asked and he looked at me incredulously.

"Saya Minatsuki. She's one of the most famous sweepers ever known," he explained, "she's one of the most feared sweepers, too."

"...your point?"

"She's like the Black Cat of the sweeper world."

"...really..." I mused. That made me even more curious. I never really was good when it came to controlling curiosity. "Sounds interesting..."

"Well, that's all for now, Train, you've got a mission to attend to. You can ask me more questions later on."

"Yessir" I stated, giving a small bow, and walked off. As I walked over to the front door, I could feel Wilgar's eyes staring a hole in my back. I slowly shut the door behind me and disappeared in to the darkness. I had a man to kill.

---------------------Kagome------------------------

I looked at the dark sky and guessed what time it was. I had never gotten a way to tell time, as in I had no watches or anything of that sort.

"Hmmm..." I mumbled to myself. _It's about...10 now. That should mean that Train should be leaving for the assassination about now... Maybe I should give him a visit and see how much he's improved...? _I nodded. _Sounds like a plan, Kags._

After deciding what to do, I ran back to my home and changed into my "Number" outfit. I Put my hair up in a ponytail and took the illusion off of my eyes. Remembering where the assassination would take place, I racd off in the correct direction, and general area. I gave a loud whistle and I felt a presence beside me a few minutes later. I heard panting and the padding noise made by paws.

"Let loose the warning, Shade. Let them know that I'm on my way."

A loud howl suddenly erupted from my wolf's throat. It was a sad and haunting sound. It rose, and then fell, like a cry of pain. I smiled when there were screams of fear and surprise coming from a nearby mansion. I heard a gunshot and knew that Train had finished his mission. I had to get there before he could escape. I would have teleported but that took up a lot of energy. Plus, it wasn't necessary that I had to see Train. There would be plenty of oppurtinuties in the future to ruin his pathetic life.

There was a gunshot and a cry of pain as the lights in the mansion turned back on. I ran faster, knowing that something had gone wrong. I made it to the front gate just int time to almost get my head blown off. I quickly hid behind the brick wall beside he gates and heard someone swearing through clenched teeth.

"Stop right there!" voices shouted as more gunshots were heard. I heard someone falling to the ground and heard a grunt as that someone made harsh contact. I looked at Shade. He didn't need the signal.

Shade bolted in front of the front gates, making sure that whoever was there could see him clearly. I smiled as he judged the lights just right so that his yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. The guards skidded to a stop and he let out another howl. I took that one moment of surprise and jumped over the brick wall, silently landing on the branch of a tree. I then hopped from branch to branch until I was right next to the dark-clothed guards before hopping down behind them and knocking them out.

"How shameful, Train. The Black Cat had been given bad luck instead of the other way around..." I mumbled, staring down at his unconcious and bleeding form. I sighed and entered the mansion, finishing the mission for him, before returning to his body. I made sure to use the illusion to make my eyes look blue, and took my ponytail down. I touched his back and looked at my wolf. Shade trotted off as I disappeared from thedriveway and reappeared in my home. Setting Train on my bed, I looked in the closet for an outfit and pulled one out. I went in to the bathroom to change.

When I walked back out, Train was trying to sit up on the bed. I quickly walked over to him and gently nudged his shoulder.

"Lie down, Heartnet" I mumbled using fake sympathy. "You need to rest."

"...Saya...?" he moaned and I gave a small smile. If that's what he knew me by...

"Yeah. Hold on, I'll fix that bleeding for you."

Too bad he wasn't awake to hear that. I guess that's a good thing, too. He wouldn't be awake for the treating of the wounds. That would mean that I could make it as painful as I wanted...

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: None of the characters belong to me, except Shade. Shade is MINE.

Friendly Rivlalry

Chapter 4

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last Time...

_"How shameful, Train. The Black Cat had been given bad luck instead of the other way around..." I mumbled, staring down at his unconcious and bleeding form. I sighed and went back to the mansion, finishing the mission for him, before returning to his body. I made sure to use the illusion to make my eyes look blue, and took my ponytail down. I touched his back and looked at my wolf. Shade trotted off as I disappeared from that driveway and reappeared in my home. Setting Train on my bed, I looked in the closet for an outfit and pulled one out. I went in to the bathroom to change._

_When I walked back out, I saw Train trying to sit up on the bed. I quickly walked over to him and gently nudged his shoulder._

_"Lie down, Heartnet" I mumbled using fake sympathy. "You need to rest."_

_"...Saya...?" he moaned and I gave a small smile. If that's what he knew me by..._

_"Yeah. Hold on, I'll fix that bleeding for you."_

_Too bad he wasn't awake to hear that. I guess that's a good thing, too. He wouldn't be awake for the treating of the wounds. That would mean that I could make it as painful as I wanted..._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I smirked as I walked over to my medicine cabinet. What could I do to make him feel pain...?

_hmmm... What to use... what to use... band-aids...? No... Bandage wraps...? Nah... Oh... what's this...? Rubbing Alcohol? heh heh heh... now THAT I can work with..._ I looked at Train with a sadistic grin on my lips. _You are going to pay for what you did, even if you didn't know about it, my dear Train..._

I grabbed the clear liquid from the cabinet and a towel from the bathroom before floating over to the bed. I plopped in to a chair next to the bed and uncapped the rubbing alcohol. I scrunched my nose from the stench that was released. Placing the towel on the mouth of the bottle, I tipped it over until I could feel the alcohol being soaked into the towel. Looking at Train's pained face one more time, I gave an even wider grin and gently took his coat off so that I could treat his wounds.

_Good boy... just lie still so that I can dip this beautiful cloth of stinging pain onto that little hole there... _

Glancing at the wound, I remembered that I forgot to take the bullets out. I scowled.

_Well that. Is. Crap... why couldn't he just get stabbed?_

------------------------------Train-----------------------------------

I moaned as I woke up, finding myself on a bed. I tried to sit up and winced, falling back down. Why did everything STING so much? I groaned and decided to open my eyes instead. I was greeted with a low, wooden ceiling. Looking to my left, I saw an empty chair and a small workdesk. To my right there was a door that led to... well, somewhere. I looked past my feet and saw another door, this one open, and saw a bathroom. There was a closet right next to it.

_...what a bland room... everything's wood... Doesn't the person ever get sick of seeing brown all the time?_

Looking out the window, which was above the desk, I saw lots and lots of tall trees that covered the blue sky and hid it from vision, covering the world in shadows and darkness. It created a haunting scene.

_Apparently not..._

I stared out the window, curious about how I had gotten in to Saya's care. Was she the one that had saved me from the security guards? If so, she really was another me, except in the Sweeper world...

Deep in thought, I didn't hear the loud howls coming from outside of the house until they were next to the window. My eyes widened when I finally realised that they were there and I tried to sit up, wincing. I saw a flash of white and my eyes flew toward the strange streak. The streak, now identified as a dove, landed on the bedpost, dropping a letter in my lap. I picked up the letter and opened it, beginning to read.

_Sir,_

_I have to work all day today so I made some food for you in case you aren't well enough to make food for yourself yet. I placed your meals on a desk beside the bed. I also called one of my friends just in case you are in need of assistance. I should be back around 22:00, so feel free to wander around or leave. The decision is up to you._

_Saya Minatsuki_

I looked at the desk and, sure enough, saw plates of food placed on top of a tray. I struggled to sit up but ended up falling back over from the pain again. I looked around for this 'friend' that she spoke, debating whether or not it was a good idea to call for help. I decided against it and gritted my teeth as I forced my body in to a sitting position, panting from the burning pain jolting through my entire body. That's when the door opened.

"Oh, you're awake" a calm voice stated and I slowly turned my head to see a man with jet black hair and golden eyes staring at me.

I gave no reply and he shrugged, walking over to me. He had a relaxed gait, taking his time while also being quite fast.

"Let's see here... Saya said something about rebandaging...?" he mumbled, gently tugging on one of the bandages. That's when I noticed that my entire stomach and chest was wrapped up.

_Well would you look at that..._

I watched as the man in front of me tried to take the bandages off but I refused to work along with him. Something about him was... off... and my instincts screamed for me to run away. As I tried to hold back that urge, I couldn't help but give an uncomfortable shift in movement. The man noticed and sighed.

"I need to talk to you, Train..." the man mumbled and I looked at him.

_How does he know who I am? Unless Saya told him..._

He sat on a chair that was placed beside the bed and stared straight in to my eyes. I felt like he was seeing my soul and judging it. The feeling was very uncomfortable. I eventually gave in.

"What do you want?"

"I want you to promise that you won't hurt Saya" he replied calmly and I smirked.

"That's it?" I asked and he scowled.

"I want you to promise."

"I promise I won't hurt her. She saved my life, why would I?" I questioned innocently.

"So that you will never have to worry about Wilgar deciding to replace you."

I hesitated, "Why would Wilgar replace me?"

"New toys can always be found, Train. It's just a matter of when and where."

That made a lot of sense, despite how amazingly shocking it was. One of the Numbers easilly could be replaced at any moment, although not highly recommended. Wilgar didn't need five Number eights or something running around claiming that they were the real thing when only one of them were. But I was the best number out of the thirteen that existed... he wouldn't replace me, would he?

"So you promise?" he asked again and I nodded.

"I promise."

"Good. Now that that's over with, let's get this bandaging over with, too."

-------------------------Kagome--------------------------

Sighing, I sat down on a stool during my lunch break and pulled out a small bag of food. I stared at it pitifully but took out the small meal and began to eat it anyways. I then noticed a small movement out of the corner of my eyes and saw a child in the middle of the street, staring at the pub with hunger in his eyes. I looked at my food, then at the redheaded child. Standing up, I took what was left of my meal and began to make my way over to him. He began to back up in uncertainty but I held the food out and motioned him over.

We stayed in that position for a few seconds before he took a hesitant step towards me. I squatted and he kept on coming closer. He was eventually right next to me and gingerly took the food from my hand, his green eyes staring in to mine in fear.

"Go on..." I comforted, "you can take it."

His eyes then lit up and he bounded away in to a nearby alleyway.

"I see that you have, in a way, taken in another stray" a voice mused behind me and I spun around to see a man with black hair and gold eyes. I relaxed immediately after seeing who it was.

"You know I have a knack for attracting them. How's the 'oh-so-wonderful' Train?" I asked sarcastically and he smirked.

"He is doing quite well, actually. He can sit up on his own, although he falls back over in extreme pain most of the time. He claims his body burns all over. What exactly did you use to clean his wounds, Kags?"

I smirked, looking at my nails. "Ohh... nothing really... found a few bottles of rubbing alcohol that I never got a chance to use..."

The man let out a loud laugh, recieving some awkward looks from the passerbys. When his laughter died dow, the look of mirth was still in his eyes. "What would you like me to do now?"

"Well... I don't really know... just go back and make sure that nothing stupid happens to him, I guess. He can be really clumsy and stupid at times" I replied, an evil glint in my eye.

"I see... I'll try to make sure that he remains completely unharmed."

"Yeah, you do that." I inwardly smirked, knowing that he wouldn't keep his emotions in check. Despite my hatred, I began to feel pity for poor Train. I decided that I would be nice to him tonight to make up for the sins that I had committed in the last 24 hours.

---------------------------Train-----------------------

I sighed as I lied down in the bed and looked up at the wooden ceiling. My body still hurt like crap but I was getting used to the pain so it didn't really hurt as much anymore.

"...you're back..." I mumbled and the door opened.

"Yeah, I'm back" a feminine voice replied and I turned my head to look at Saya. "How as your day with my friend?" she asked.

"It was pretty good. Could have been much worse..."

"Yeah, I'm surprised that he was nice to you, he's usually very rude and kind of mean."

"I figured that out..." I replied and she gave a small laugh.

"Did you eat anything at all?"

"Yeah... that guy made me."

"He can get like that... it's best not to anger him..."

"Figured that out too..."

"Wow, Train.. someone was disobedient while I was away..." she said, mirth in her eyes and voice.

"Yeah, yeah... so I didn't listen to him? Your point? I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Okay then. I guess I'll make something good to eat tonight then. To celebrate your getting better."

"Sounds good."

She stood up and walked out the door and in to the forest. Yes, that forest. The one with the wolves and that looked scary during the _day_. Not that I was scared.

I was about to call out for her and tell her not to go in there but decided not to, trusting her judgement. She wasn't stupid, and she was a sweeper so she could take care of herself. But no matter what I said, I began to get worried when there was a loud howl almost an hour later and she still had not returned. She didn't even bring a light with her.

I decided to sit up and when I did, I looked out the window to see her coming back, yellow eyes following her. More appeared but she didn't seem to notice. One lunged and I was about to shout when she spun around and took the wolf head on. She fell to the ground and I began to panic when but she jsut lied there and laughed as the wolf licked her. More came out of the woods and gave happy whines and barks.

"I know, I know..." she whispered, "You're hungry. I'm sorry, but I don't have enough meat for all of you today. I have a guest over and I need to take care of him."

They didn't seem to care and as she sat there, petting them all, I could feel more things coming towards her. She looked around and smiled.

"I know you're there, Hart, Skye. Come out."

A small silver fox burst out of the bushes and curled up on her lap, along with a hawk that perched on her shoulder. She laughed and looked at them both fondly.

"I know, I know... you're all hungry, but like I said, I don't have enough food for all of you. I have to feed two people now. Hey! Umbra! Give that back! Bad wolf! No!" she laughed and the wolf grudgingly came back with the dead rabbit. She patted it's head. "I'll make it up to all of you, okay? I promise."

The all showed their agreement and she shooed them off, a content smile on her face. She picked up the food that she had found and turned around, seeing me staring at her in awe through the window.

That was amazing... how did she tame all of them...?

As she walked in the door about another hour later with plates of food in her hands, she sat down beside me and handed me the food. It was also amazing that she knew exactly how much food I needed. She took the leftover rabbit meat that she had and whistled.

"Come and get it!" she called. "First one here gets leftover rabbit!"

Suddenly, the entire pack of wolves burst from the trees and she threw it out the window. The hawk caught it and flew off, leaving the wolves there emptyhanded... emptypawed... empty jawed...?

Saya laughed. "Sorry guys, better luck next time."

No matter how many times something happened, she never seized to astound me. What exactly was this girl?

------------------------------------------

Done with chapter four, peeps! and I wish you a very very very very very happy new year!! Oh, and, R&r!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Discalimer: singing I own nothing!!!

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 5

Last Time...

"Come and get it!" she called. "First one here gets leftover rabbit!"

Suddenly, the entire pack of wolves burst from the trees and she threw it out the window. The hawk caught it and flew off, leaving the wolves there emptyhanded... emptypawed... empty jawed...?

Saya laughed. "Sorry guys, better luck next time."

No matter how many times something happened, she never seized to astound me. What exactly was this girl?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After I finished scarfing down all of my food, I looked at Saya and saw her washing the dishes. I watched as her hands gracefully slid over the surface of the plate, wiping off the bits and pieces of food, then taking it out and drying it in a towel. After placing the last dish on a nearby table, she stood a up and looked at me.

"It's about time that I checked those badages, Heartnet" she said and I slowly nodded. Walking over she gently tugged on one and scowled. "I never realised that he was so lazy..." she mumbled, "they're way too loose."

Taking out a roll of bandages, she set them aside and began to undo mine. I winced when I felt a part where the blood had dried onto the bandage, connecting the wound and the cloth. I hissed as she quickly swiped the bandage off. She looked at me.

"Sorry. Its the least painful way, though."

"I know."

Placing a towel in a bucket of warm water, she wrung it out and looked at the wound.

"This is going to hurt."

"I'm used to the sting."

She smiled. "I've noticed" she mumbled as she gently wiped the cloth against the wound. I tensed, but her soft carresses relaxed me. "Calm down, Train. It'll only hurt more if your stiff."

I gave a slow nod and gritted my teeth, forcing myself to relax my muscles as the pain came again. It didn't hurt as much, but it still hurt. "That's right... just relax..." she comforted. Her voice was soothing and it calmed me down more. Not that I need it. I never need to be comforted when I'm in pain. Nope. Never.

"There we go..." she whispered as she dropped the bloody towel in front of me. "Done." She looked at me as she picked up the bandage wrap. "that wasn't too bad, now, was it?" she asked.

"No... not really."

"Was it better than my friend?"

"Yeah. A lot better."

She laughed. "That's good. It should be that way. He isn't very good with anything medical."

I couldn't help but give a small laugh this time, willing to take the pain. "I've noticed that, too. It was really painful."

'What has she done to me?' was what I was thinking.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes widened when I saw him laugh. It was the first time I ever saw a genuine smile on his face. It surprised me. Was I the one that had brought it out? I mentally slapped myself to clear my head. Gently pushing down on his shoulder, I helped him lie back down on the bed.

"Rest. If you want enough strength to leave tomorrow, you need to get stronger. You aren't going to get stronger if you don't allow your body to rest and recuperate."

He nodded as I stood up and I felt his eyes on me as I walked out of the room. After I was safely in the forest, I looked around and whistled. A howl was heard nearby and I turned around to see Shade in front of me.

'Is he near?' he asked and I shook my head. His body changed as his legs lengthened and his muzzle shortened, his fur turning in to clothes. In the end, a man stood before me, his gold eyes staring right at me through the black bangs that partly covered them. Two black wolf ears took the place of human ones.

"Did he do anything?" he asked and I shook my head.

"I'm fine. I think he has his suspicions, but he isn't voicing them out loud" I replied and I noticed the nervous look in his eyes.

"Please don't turn your back on him... I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if he ever hurt you" he pleaded, leaning down and bumping his forehead against mine.

"I know. I don't trust him, either, but don't worry. I'm a big girl now, Shade. I can take care of myself."

"I know that, Kagome, but I still worry. I hate standing outside as a wolf, waiting for you. Now, with this Train living with you, it only worries me more. I want to help you, Kagome. Bring me with you on your next assignment. Let me do some fighting, too."

"I can't, and you know that."

"But why?" he whimpered as he stepped closer. "Why won't you let me fight?"

I leaned against him, resting my head against his chest as I felt his arms wrap around my waist. "I don't want you to get hurt because of me. You saved me that one day so long ago... you took care of me. I want to make sure you don't get harmed... I care about you too much..."

I felt him give a small nod, taking it as an answer for now. "Okay, Kagome... I'll let the subject rest for now..."

Feeling him letting go, I stepped away and saw him staring in to the distance. As he sniffed the air I noticed his ear twitching. His pupils shrunk as a feral snarl ripped through the air, erupting from his throat. Baring his fangs, he gently pushed me behind him. I let him nudge me and looked where he was. Whenever he acted like this, there was always a great danger that he knew I couldn't handle easilly.

"What's going on, Shade?" I asked softly, touching his arm.

"Stay back, Kagome..." he growled softly and I saw his eyes narrow as a figure made itself known. "Stay away from her, Kuroi" he snarled. Kuroi?

"Kagome..." his voice sang and I stepped back, hearing the growl in his voice. As he stepped out of the shadows, I saw his claws and fangs. "Its been a while, Shade. So this is where you were hiding."

'Hiding...?' I thought, confused.

'I'll explain later, Kagome' I heard Shade say in my mind. 'Now get out of here.'

'What? Why?'

'Just do it!'

'I'm not leaving you here alone!'

"I've always wondered where you were. You disappeared after that day so long ago... tell me, how was your brother afterwards? Did he live?" Kuroi asked cruelly and I saw blue tendrils of power bleeding in to Shade's eyes. I saw that Kuroi's eyes had already turned red. "You had your powers purified, Shade? I didn't know that you were so desperate for revenge."

"Get out of here, Kagome..." Shade said softly, the blue power dying slightly. He suddenly knocked me out of the way, shoving me against the ground. I looked up to see him holding a blue knight sword he created solely with his powers, blocking a red blade in Kuroi's hands. "Get out of here, Kagome!" he snarled.

"But-"

I watched as Kuroi suddenly disappeared, Shade followed soon after. They were both blurs in the shadows, the sparks of energy created when their blades met sounded and looked like firecrackers in the darkness. I saw a blur of red coming towards me but it met blue, inches from my chest, before I could register what had almost happened. I was no match for both of the youkai. I would never be able to survive if I fought Kuroi. I knew that now.

"I said get out of here, I'll be fine" Shade grunted as he blocked another slash.

"But Shade-"

"LEAVE!" he roared and I shot to my feet, terrified now. He never used that tone with me before. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

I slowly stepped back, but as Kuroi made his way towards me again, I spun around and ran as fast as I could, which was actually really fast. I didn't pay attention to the branches and sticks in my way as I blurred past them. The only thing I could comprehend was what Shade shouted at me to do. I was in the safety of my home within a few moments, but those few moments that I was racing through the woods seemed like forever. Slamming the door behind me, I leaned against it and slid to the ground, panting.

"Are you okay, Saya?" I heard Heartnet mumble sleepily and I swallowed, trying to calm down.

"Yeah... I'm fine..."

"Are you sure?" he asked and I nodded.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep, Train."

"...okay..." he yawned and I felt myself beginning to tremble from fear. What was going on? Who was this 'Kuroi' person and what did he want with Shade? After I calmed down I began to think clearly again. I groaned. I had run away when I said that I would protect him... I got back up, determined, and ran back in tot he woods, calling upon Skye to give me some help. I told him my plan and he flew off. I had lots of youkai friends to help me. I smiled at the thought. I would be able to protect Shade now.

---------------------Shade--------------------

After Kagome had left, I felt my demon side taking control over my body. I didn't let it out completely earlier because Kagome was still nearby. Now that she had left, I could release myself completely without worry.

As a burst of power raced through me, I charged.

"What's wrong, Shade?" Kuroi taunted. "What happened to the heartless killer I once knew?"

"He died along with his dark energy awhile back" I growled in response and Kuroi blocked. Pushing me back, he threw me into a tree, snapping it in half.

"You've gone soft" he spat

"I've learned from my mistakes" I corrected.

"You've gotten stupid, you didn't learn anything. That's what happened" he argued.

"At least I'm stupid and cared for instead of stupid and lonely" I retorted.

He smirked. "You won't have someone to care for you by tomorrow night" he chuckled and my eyes widened. "I own the place that your dear Kagome works, my friend. I can kill her any time that I want. I probably won't though. She's too beautiful to waste. But if I did happen to kill her, then the poor little pup will have no protection from the world. He'll be left aaaalllll alone again. How pitiful, although I would like to see that again, it was amusing."

"Don't you _dare _touch her!" I snarled, my instincts telling me to rip him to shreds. I got to my feet and lunged, slashing and hacking away at him. He either blocked or dodged every single one of my attempts and I growled. I accidentally left an opening and he stabbed my left stomach. I cried out in pain as his sword went right through it, becoming purified in the process.

"This is my warning, _Shade_. Listen and listen well. If I ever see you coming near my store again, I'll kill you. We both know that I can, too."

"I'll go wherever I want to" I panted and he glared.

"I'd like to see you squirm in pain for touching _my _Kagome, but I've decided to let you live. Be grateful." After he turned and ran deeper in to the trees, I pounded the ground with my fist and swore under my breath. Getting to my feet, I winced and held my stomach, applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding. I had to get to Kagome. Making my way back to the house, I stumbled from the pain. Feeling someone taking my arm and slinging it around their shoulders, I looked up to see Skye in her Youkai form. Her yellow eyes looked at my stomach worriedly.

"You okay?" she asked and I gave a small nod. "Come on, lets get you back to the house."

"Is Kagome safe?" I asked and she nodded. I felt relief wash over me. When the house came in to view, I noticed that the lights were still on. Was she waiting for me? Stumbling in because of blood loss with Skye trying to hold me up, I noticed that only the boy was there. As she set me down on a chair, I looked at her.

"Where is she?" I asked weakly but Skye ignored me. "Skye..." I panted and she ignored me again. She left only to come back a while later with some warm water and bandages. "Skye...! What are you hiding from me...?"

"...Kagome told me not to tell you, but in the state your in, I doubt you can do anything anyways" she mumbled softly and I grew worried.

"...Where is she...?"

She hesitated before answering. "...She went to act as a decoy to draw Kuroi away so he wouldn't kill you..."

"She WHAT?!?!" I shouted, jumping to my feet, but yelped and fell to my knees.

"It's you again... where's Saya?" a sleepy voice asked from the bed and Skye scowled.

"Look what you did, Shade you woke the boy up..." she groaned.

"Well if you had told me earlier than it wouldn't have happened!" I hissed.

"She told me not to tell you!"

"That doesn't mean that you can't!"

"I promised that I wouldn't!"

"That shouldn't matter!"

"Tell me that you can lie to her, Shade. Tell me that you can break a promise you've made to her like it didn't matter." I glared at her and she nodded. "Exactly. You can't."

"Still shouldn't matter..." I grumbled.

"Take your shirt off" she commanded and my eyes widened as I looked at her.

"What? No!"

"Do it so I can clean the wound!"

"Kagome's the only one that I trust enough to clean it" I growled and Skye's face took on a mischieveous look.

"Ohhhhhh, so she can see you without a shirt on?" she stated huskily, wiggling an eyebrow. She suddenly appeared on my other side and elbowed my shoulder. "Finally starting to make a move, are we?"

"No! Its not like-"

"Oooohhhhhhh! Is wittle Shade embawassed?" she teased, noticing a faint tint of pink on my cheeks. She poked them. "Awwwww, he's bwushing!!" she cooed. I blushed more and she giggled. "Oooooooo, big bad Shade wikes our innocent, wittle Kag-"

The door slammed open in the middle of her sentence, much to my relief, I wouldn't have been able to take much more of that teasing. I saw Kagome burst in, frantically looking around. Her eyes lit up and she ran past me, towards her closet. I followed her with my head, along with Skye and Train, who I just remembered about.

"Come on... where'd it go... bullets... bullets..." she panted, digging around. "Found 'em!" she exclaimed and raced past me again, opening a drawer and pulling out a bullet holder. She strapped it on to the holster on her thigh and I felt my blush deepen. She looked at me and I saw a look of relief on her face. She noticed the wound on my stomach and scowled.

"I thought you said that you were going to be fine!" she whined and I opened my mouth to speak but decided against it. "Whatever. Be good for Skye. I'll be back in a little bit."

"But-" I began, but the door slammed shut before I could finish. I glared at Skye.

"Looks like you have to listen to her, puppy boy" she teased and I grumbled, taking my shirt off so she could clean the wound.

To Be Continued...

Hee hee! For those of you that are curious of what pairing this is, it's KagomeTrain. Not Shade, sadly. Lol... but HAPPY NEW YEAR


	6. Chapter 6

Discalimer: I owns nothing!

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 6

Last Time...

_"Come on... where'd it go... bullets... bullets..." she panted, digging around. "Found 'em!" she exclaimed and raced past me again, opening a drawer and pulling out a bullet holder. She strapped it on to the holster on her thigh and I felt my blush deepen. She looked at me and I saw a look of relief on her face. She noticed the wound on my stomach and scowled._

_"I thought you said that you were going to be fine!" she whined and I opened my mouth to speak but decided against it. "Whatever. Be good for Skye. I'll be back in a little bit."_

_"But-" I began, but the door slammed shut before I could finish. I glared at Skye._

_"Looks like you have to listen to her, puppy boy" she teased and I grumbled, taking my shirt off so she could clean the wound._

-------------------------------------------------Kagome----------------------------------------------------

I raced outside and ran around, looking for Kuroi. Boy, did I have a gift for him. I took out my gun and felt something flying towards me from behind. Spinning around, I aimed and shot, forcing my energy in to it. There was a hiss as the bullet didn't hit it's mark, but was really close to it.

"A miko..." Kuroi chuckled as he stared at me with his red eyes. "How quaint." Creating his blade again, he lunged at me. I shot at him, but he dodged them all. I cursed under my breath as I had to reload. I fumbled around for more bullets as I felt his presence getting closer at a terrifyingly fast rate.

'Calm down Kagome... you can do it... just calm down and YES!' I silently cheered to myself as I picked got a few bullets. Shoving them into my gun, I realised that I didn't have enough time and I used my energy and summoned a barrier. I felt him bounce off and I winced at the amount of youkai energy that was in him. I looked up and screamed in pain when I felt my barrier break from the outside. I felt a clawed hand at the back of my neck and I froze, letting the weight of the gun make it click shut.

"Check. Mate. Little Miko..." Kuroi chuckled, and I felt youkai energy building in his hand. I swore under my breath. Glancing at the house, I saw Shade struggling to his feet to get to me while Skye held him down. He bit her and she yelped, letting go of him. As he began to run towards the door, she hit the back of his head, knocking him over. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Laughing in your last moments?" he asked, amused, and I smirked.

"No," I replied, "I'm laughing in yours." I threw some bullets in to the air to draw his attention from me and kicked his hand away from my neck as I spun around, accidentally raking my leg against his claws. Aiming my gun at his head, I fired. He dodged, but he hissed in pain as the bullets zoomed just millimeters from his cheek, burning it.

"Damn wench!" he snarled, slashing at me with his sword. I fired again, but instead of dodging it, he blocked it with his sword. The sword purified out of his hands and he cried out as another bullet hit his stomach, purifying him from the inside out. Apparently I didn't put enough holy energy into the bullet because he slashed at me with his claws. He was too quick to dodge so I turned away, blocking my face with my arms. I grunted as I hit the ground, feeling my blood pouring out of the wounds.

"I'll get you for what you did!" his hissed, voice echoing, as he disappeared.

"Kagome!" I heard Shade shout and I looked at him. He ran over to me despite the pain that showed on his face and touched my cheek.

"Ouch! That stings you stupid wolf..." I whimpered and he gave a small look of relief.

"Good to see that you didn't hit your head to hard. You still act the same." I laughed and he looked at me, a strange look in his eyes. "Tell me you won't do that again..." he whispered and I pouted.

"But it was fun!" I whined, "Plus, I'm perfectly fine!"

He grabbed my arm and I yelped. "If you call almost getting your arms slashed off your body fun, then you need to get your brain checked" he stated and I giggled. I noticed his stern gaze and stopped.

"What?"

"You really had me scared back there, you know..." he mumbled and I sighed, patting the top of his head. He narrowed his eyes slightly in reflex.

"You know that I don't die that easilly, Shade..."

"Why did you do it?" he asked.

"I wanted to protect you. Is that so wrong?"

"...you don't have to protect me..." he whispered. He fingered my bracelet. "This thing alone is enough..."

"Not to me... it isn't enough to me."

Taking my arm and stretching it out a tiny bit, he looked at my face. It was indifferent, as if I never felt any pain.

"You really don't care anymore, do you?" he asked.

"About pain? No. I don't." Blue began to fill his eyes again and I grew worried. "Is something wrong, Shade? Your eyes..."

"The smell of blood still drives me crazy..." he growled, looking at the slashes on my arm, the blood now dripping on to his hand. He slowly let go and brought his hand to his lips, licking it. I froze.

"Shade...? You're starting to scare me..."

"Please, Kagome..." he groaned, "I can't control it..."

He looked at me, his pupils shrinking again. He gently grabbed my arm and began to lick it, purring in delight. I began to struggle at first, but when I realised that the pain was going away, I stopped. Watching as my wounds healed in front of my eyes, I stared at him in wonder. When he was done, he looked at his bloody hands and licked them clean.

Returning his gaze to me, I hesitantly reached out, the curiosity of what his ears felt like taking over. I rarely saw his ears like this, he usually transformed into a human form completely so that he could follow me around without getting suspicious looks. Gently placing a hand on his ear, I rubbed it. He closed his eyes and purred, leaning in to my hand. I couldn't help but smile at the softness of them and the content look on Shade's face.

Opening his now blue eyes, he moved closer to me and rubbed his cheek against mine, purring. I combed my hand through his long hair and he purred louder. He sat down in between my legs and leaned against me, wanting me to pet him more. This wasn't the first time this had happened to me, but it was the first time had healed my wounds. I held him closer and he rested his head against my chest.

I knew he did this to calm his youkai nerves. This only happened after he had let his inner youkai loose and let it control his body. It was the only way to calm it down.

He whimpered and folded his ears back as he snuggled closer, asleep now. He was still a child in youkai years, not even 1/8 the age of most of the others. I could understand why he still had childish instincts left in him. He was like a baby compared to them.

"It's amazing, isn't it Kagome?" Skye muttered and I looked up at her.

"What is?"

"How we are all drawn to you like moths to a flame."

"...is that a bad thing...?"

She looked at Shade. "It is for him" she sighed and I gave a confused look. "You'll see what I mean."

I looked down at his calm, sleeping face and gently brushed my hand against his cheek.

"You love him" she stated.

"...yeah..." I whispered and she smiled.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"I can't."

"Why not?" she inquired.

"You don't want to see what'll happen. Trust me" I laughed and she cocked her head to one side.

"If you say so... although I am curious..."

"I know... but I'm sure Shade wants to hear those words come out of my mouth... I'd love to hear them come out of his, too..."

--------------------------------Shade--------------------------------

Faking sleep, I listened in on their conversation. It was hard to keep my emotions from showing on my face when I heard what Kagome said. It was something that I had always wanted to hear, and although it wasn't said directly to me, I knew that she meant it. The bond we shared... it made it so we couldn't tell eachother intimate feelings, along with other things. I couldn't kiss her, I couldn't hold her close, I couldn't tell her how I felt... sometimes I wished that we had never created the bond that we did... but I knew it was necessary.

After a long silence had fallen over the two, I shifted and slowly opened my eyes. The dull and faraway look in Kagome's eyes when she glanced at me told me that she was in a world of memories. The smile on her face told me that the memories were good, so I decided not to bother her.

"...thank you..." I mumbled and she looked at me.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"My demon isn't roaring to come out and kill things anymore."

"I doubt that it ever wanted to come out and kill things anyway" Skye commented and I glared at her, slowly getting up.

"Want to make that a bet?" I growled and she smirked.

"Sure. Why not. Let's see what the poor injured puppy can do" she taunted and I scowled.

"I'm not a puppy."

"You are in my eyes."

"I'm 93 years old, thank you very much."

"Ahhh, still but a babe. I miss those days..." Skye sighed, daydreaming.

"I don't care what you miss, damn chicken!"

"I am not a chicken, mutt!"

"I'm a wolf, dammit, get it right for once!"

"I'll call you what I want to call you!"

"Saya?" Train whispered as he walked of the cabin and interrupted my argument.

"Yes?" she replied and he looked at the sky.

"I think I should get going now. Thank you for your hospitality."

"No problem" she chirped, waving a goodbye as he walked off. He didn't look back. When he was out of sight she looked at me. She struggled to her feet as she stood up. "I should probably go to work now."

"But your leg..." I said, trailing off.

"I'll be fine." As she began to turn around, I remembered what Kuroi said and I ran in front of her, ignoring the burning I felt in my stomach.

"You can't" I stated.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You'll get hurt. Skye can go for you."

"Why me?" I heard Skye whine from behind me and I turned around.

'Because Kuroi doesn't know you' I said in her mind and her expression darkened.

'I see.' Sighing, she lowered her head. "Fine, fine. I'll go and tell him that you're not feeling well."

"But-"

"Relax, I can protect myself from stupid human males."

---------------------Train-----------------------

_That man's name was Shade... It can't be the wolf, can it? But the wolf ears... he must be a demon. But why is he here? The demons were destroyed long ago..._

Looking at the sky as I made my way back to HQ, not noticing the pain that shot through me. I then saw that girl, Skye, run past me.

_...I would like to follow her... but I have to report back to Wilgar..._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now! Happy January First!!!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Shade and Skye!

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 7

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After giving my report to Wilgar, he sighed and nodded, now understanding why I was about to collapse when I got in to HQ. Although he was upset, he let it go because he assignment was finished anyways. Letting me go back to my room and rest, I nodded, but did the exact opposite. Curiosity always gets the better of me, and seeing Skye run past me like that perked my interests. However, before I walked out the front door, I saw a familiar person standing in front of me.

"Hello Creed" I stated, stopping in front of him.

"Hello, Heartnet. Where have you been?"

"Getting my wounds taken care of."

"Did you get your next assignment?"

"Yeah."

"When is it?"

"Tonight."

"Who is it?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "It's confidential, sorry." Noticing Creed's cold, gray eyes' dark gaze, I looked at him. "Yes?"

"You've changed."

"How so?" I asked.

"Your eyes are soft" he replied.

"I can still kill."

"But you aren't the same. You're not cold-hearted anymore."

"..." Deciding not to go to Saya today, I turned around and went back in to my room to think everything that Creed had said, along with everything else that had happened in the last day, over. I hoped that Creed wouldn't see through my lie.

-----------------------------Creed----------------------------------

_He's changed. He's not the same... maybe he'll return back to normal after tonight... I'll follow him. Yes. I'll follow him and see what his 'assignment' is. Wilgar wouldn't give him anoher assignment so soon. Not after recieving that injury... _I smiled at the thought.

----------------------------Kagome---------------------------

Looking at Shade's sleeping form, I smiled. Glancing at the jagged scar on his collarbone that only revealed itself when his shirt slipped over his shoulder, I wondered why he never told me the story behind it. Watching as the sun lowered in the sky, I felt the warmth in my heart leave along with it. It was almost time to say hello to our dear friend again. I had to get ready to welcome him. Silently walking out of the cabin, I made my way in to the woods.

"Skye!" I called and the hawk dropped down in front of me.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Gather the other youkai, it's almost time to welcome the kitty."

She smirked. "Shall we give him a scare?"

I returned it. "Yes. Make sure not to scare his cat to horribly though. Don't want it to die of fright. But be careful, he has deadly aim when he wants to kill."

"Then shall we scare him a different way?"

I gave an evil grin. "Just make sure that he-" I stopped mid-sentence as I felt two auras approaching.

"There's two of them" Skye commented and I nodded.

"Forget the plan then, I'll welcome them in myself."

"Shade wouldn't be happy about that" she sighed and I gave a laugh.

"Shade's not here though, is he now?"

She laughed too. "No, I suppose he's not. I'll be hiding in the shadows with the others in case the second is dangerous, though. Just as a precaution."

Nodding, I turned around and raced towards the two auras. When I felt their auras give of alarm, I teleported away, smiling when their aura gave off even more alarm. Teleporting behind Train, I felt him stop and turn around. Seeing him reach for his gun, I teleported again and landed right behind him, kicking his gun out of his hand and pulling out my 'gun', holding it to the back of his head, pressing it firmly against him.

"I give, Saya..." he sighed and I smiled as he turned around. I tossed him what I pressed against his head and his eyes lit up. He then scowled. "How did you know I was coming?" he asked.

"How did you know that I was coming?" I replied and he smirked.

"I see..."

Feeling the second aura nearby, I ignored it and walked with Train back to my cabin. I saw Shade glaring at me when I reached the clearing. I sweatdropped.

'Oh no...'

"Saya..." he growled and I gave a small laugh.

"H-hi..." I stammered and he glanced at Train, then the forest behind us. His face grew serious.

'You do realise that someone has been following you, right?' he asked in my mind. Ahhh, the wonderful effects of the bond.

'Yes, I did realise that.'

'He has hostile intentions.'

'I know.'

Shade walked closer. "Towards you" he added and I smiled.

"I know!" I chirped and he sighed, giving up.

He ruffled my hair. "Don't scare me like that again."

I noticed Train watching us with curiosity and saw the confused look in his eyes. The feeling of the aura behind me made a chill run down my spine.

"Lets go inside" I suggested and dragged them both inside. I couldn't escape that haunting feeling however. The feeling that I usually felt when a battle was coming up. I didn't have to wait long. There was clashing of swords outside and I looked out the window to see a young man with white hair fighting Skye. He saw me and smirked, pushing Skye away and lunging at me. I scowled when I reached for my gun but found it gone. I had forgotten it in the closet. I turned around, knowing that Shade would be there to protect me, and looked at Train. His eyes were wide in shock.

"...Creed..." he whispered and I glanced behind me to see the surprise on Creed's face as realisation dawned on him. He now knew that Shade wasn't human.

"Say your prayers, human" Shade growled but Creed dodged, fleeing in to the woods. I saw Shade just standing still, a sea of black with his black pants and long sleeves against the colorful background of the trees and flowers. He was panting from exertion as he didn't move, and I knew that he was frustrated with me. I walked past Train and cautiously walked out the door.

"Shade...?" I asked quietly.

"I think I should go..." Train whispered, following after Creed. It was just Shade and me now.

"Shade...?" I repeated, a little louder.

"Did you forget?" he questioned. His voice scared me now. It was low and cold.

"I..."

"Answer me."

"No... it's just that... I..."

"You what?"

"I thought that he wouldn't be that good. I thought that I would be able to handle him if something came up, without your help..."

"Do you remember what'll happen if you die, Kagome?"

"Y-yeah..." I didn't want to think about it.

"Do not take my protection for granted."

I noticed something dripping off of him and followed it with my gaze to see blood. I gasped and raced over to him.

"Don't come near me..." he growled and I froze right behind him. I gently touched his arm.

"Shade...? are you okay?"

He slowly turned his head so he could see me and I stepped back. Blood dripped down his face from his forehead and mingled with a few tears. What the tears were from, I didn't know, but they were tears.

"...Please don't do this again..." he whispered and I nodded, terrified from the amount of blood he was losing. I could see it healing right before my eyes, though, and I knew that because he was a demon, his injuries would be healed faster. He turned around fully and looked away, walking past me. I felt tears of anger rolling down my cheeks and I raced back in to the cabin, grabbing my gun. Nobody hurt Shade without dying by my own hands. I made sure of that.

"Kagome..." I heard a voice mutter behind me and I turned around.

"Skye... are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, but please don't go... That man can wait. Go talk to Shade some more."

"What for...? He's already ignored me."

"Do you know why he's acting the way he is? Do you know what happened to make him this way?" she asked and I hesitated.

"...no..."

"Talk to him. The know you more about eachother, the stronger the bond, the stronger the two of you are. Now's just about the only time before Train comes again."

"But-"

"Relax. There are plenty of times to kill that man, Creed, later. Just worry about yourself and Shade for now."

I slowly nodded and left, begining to look for Shade. I was nervous about what he would do, but I took a deep breath and swallowed my fear. If Skye said I had to do it, then it was necessary.

----------------------Shade------------------------

-Flashback-

"Onii-chan!!!" I screamed in fear as I ran around, looking for him. I was only around 20, which is about the human equivelant of 4 or 5 years old. "Onii-chan!!!!!!!!" I tripped over a rock and fell over, skinning my knees. I got back up and was about to run again when something picked me up. Not being able to see what it was, I began to kick and squirm.

"Shhh, Shade... it's me... calm down..."

"Where's otou-san?" I asked him quietly and he tensed. My instincts told me that he had died, and my brother's reaction had told me that I was correct. Hearing barking and howling behind us, my brother set me down.

"Quick, Shade. Get on my back." I obeyed and I saw the wolves now. I felt my brother changing beneath me as he ran again and I knew that he had changed in to a wolf when he had finished. Running faster now, he broke into the underbrush. When we had finally lost them, he set me down and I watched him transform back into his humanoid form. He was 76, which was about 12 or 13 His gold eyes looking in to mine and I saw relief in them. He sat down and beckoned me over. I walked closer and he lifted me into his lap, holding me close.

"Onii-chan?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." he whispered softly, hugging me closer. "Nothing is wrong..."

"Where are mommy and daddy?"

"They've left us... Shade... they've left us. But don't worry... I'll protect you. I'll make sure that you grow in to an honorable wolf."

"What does honorable mean" I asked and he gave a weak laugh.

"I'll make sure that mom an dad are going to be proud of you..."

"So proud that they'll come back?"

He gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah... so proud that they'll come back..."

-End Flashback- -New Flashback-

I glared at the wolf prince and he gave a cold laugh.

"What's wrong, pup? Where are your parents? Actually, where's your brother?" he taunted and I gave a growl. Even though I looked about 10 in human years, my growl was one of the few things that I had not perfected.

"Shade..." my brother panted as he struggled to his feet. "Get out of here..." he was about 18 now.

"No! I want to fight too!"

"Get out of here! He'll kill you!"

The wolf prince gave a cold laugh. "I'll kill both of you" he sneered, "and then this area will finally be ours."

My brother created a sword with his energy and the other one did the same. They lunged and fought, their swords a blur as I watched. My brother was knocked in to a tree and I felt a searing pain in my shoulder. I cried out and I saw the prince, Kuroi, raise his sword to stab my heart. The pain never came.

"Run... Shade..." my brother panted and I looked up to see the sword protruding from his back.

"Onii...chan..." I whispered and he screamed as the sword was yanked out of him. He fell to his knees and the prince smirked.

"I'll be nice this one time. Give me these lands and run. If I see you here again, I won't hesitated to kill any of you." Kuroi then turned and walked away.

As my brother fell over, I caught him in my arms and looked at him. "Onii-chan..." I whimpered and he coughed out blood. "Daijobu...?"

He gave a weak laugh. "Yeah... I'm alright..."

"Don't die..." I pleaded as he coughed more blood.

"Who's dyin?" he laughed, "No one's dying... but promise me... you'll continue training. I want you to become strong..."

"Onii-chan...!" I whined and he slowly shut his eyes. I shook him but nothing happened. "Onii-chan...! Onii-chan! ONII-CHAN!!" I felt tears rolling down my face but tried to hold them back. I eventually gave up when I saw the smile that graced his calm face. "...onii-chan..."

-End Flashback-

I heard a twig snap behind me and I slowly turned my head around to see Kagome, a worried look on her face. She slowly made her way over and sat down beside me, looking at me. She gently wiped away a tear from my face that I just realised was there. It was pink with blood. She leaned against me and I looked up at the stars.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered.

"Apology accepted" I replied. We spent the rest of the night talking away. I told her everything about my past. I already knew everything about her, so it was my turn to return the favor.

------------------------Creed-----------------------------

I glared when I next saw Train. He had gone soft because of a girl... I had to get rid of her somehow... But that stupid nonhuman thing was protecting her. I had to get rid him first... but how...? My eyes lit up as I thought of an idea. A smile made its way onto my lips.

To Be Continued...

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Dun dun dunnnnnn! Lol. Anyways, hope you liked this chapter! R&R! I need 3 reviews before I start the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 8

I was content when I woke up. I was warm, comfortable, and relaxed. Opening my eyes, I saw Shade's calm, sleeping face in front of me, and I gently moved his bangs out of the way. Although hugging wasn't an option, I was gently pressed against him, just enough to feel his warmth soaking through my clothing.

Groaning, he opened his eye a crack and smiled when he saw me.

"Good morning Kagome..." he yawned, revealing his large canines. I grinned and gently prodded one of his ears.

"About time you woke up" I laughed. "Will you let me go to work today?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Why not?" I asked and he just stared at me, pleading. "Its already been three days, Shade... I need to go..."

"Please don't..."

"Why not?"

"He'll kill you..! Kuroi will come and kill you!" he whimpered and I giggled.

"He couldn't if he tried. I beat him once, didn't I?"

"But he underestimated you. It won't happen again, Kagome."

"Fine... fine..." I sighed. "But this is the last day, got that?" He pouted and I couldn't help but laugh again. I felt his hand hold mine as I sat up and I looked down to see him fiddling with my bracelet.

"Sometimes I want to break this bond..." he chuckled and I slowly nodded in agreement.

"I want to break it too... but I can't bring myself to do it..." I whispered.

Looking up at me, he gave a small sigh. "It takes a person that has given up on life to break the bond... or a very strong energy source... both of which none of us have."

"...Why does this have to happen...?" I mumbled and he smirked.

"It all started a loooonnngg time ago, remember?" he asked and I nodded. "All because of a stupid 'accident' that happened during one of your missions. Got captured and thrown into a jail cell."

We both laughed at the thought. We both knew it would never happen now.

"Not to mention I was stuck in a cell with a very hungry wolf youkai."

He grinned, showing his sharp teeth. "Of course." Abruptly sitting up, he looked around, ears perked and eyes alert. Skye suddenly flew out of the trees and turned into a youkai in front of us.

"Soo..." she mused. "Spent the night together, did you?"

"Nothing happened" we both stated at the same time.

"And now you're skipping work for the third day in a row?" She shook her head. "Wow Kagome... Shame on you."

"Nothing happened" I repeated and she nodded.

"I know, I would've smelled it by now if something did. You never seize to astound me, Shade. You've got some great self-control. If only all other males were like that... it would save us females so much trouble..."

"Is that all?" he asked.

"Of course not! You need to teach the other youkai how to bathe. Some of them really REEK, I'm telling you. I can smell them from miles away. Not to mention your hormones. Males really need to learn to keep that under control. It's quite disgusting, you know that? Also-"

"Are you quite done mocking my gender, Skye?" Shade ground out and Skye looked at him.

"If you insist..." she sighed and looked at me. "I thought that you were supposed to leave long ago for work, but as I'm making my rounds of the forest, I see you here with none other than the demon you bonded yourself to! You do realise how dangerous that is, don't you?"

I nodded, lowering my gaze a little. Shade stood up.

"We both know what could happen, Skye" he growled, "We know what the risks are."

She sighed and looked at the sky. "Then why...?" she mumbled and I looked at her again. Her lower lip was trembling. "Why do you do this to yourselves? Don't you know how much the others and I care for you guys?"

He nodded and looked at her, a small smile on his face. "We do know how much you care for us, but this is a personal matter, Skye. It'll end up fine."

Getting to my feet, I turned my back to them both and stretched. "I think I should get going. You know, find some food and stuff."

"Don't worry about that" a low voice stated from the shadows. A man with red hair and gold eyes stepped out of the trees, showing himself.

"Oh, hi Hart" I grumbled and he scowled.

"Since when did you start hating me, Kagome?" he asked and I gave a small grin.

"Since you started doing my job, that's when."

"I didn't do it, Umbra did it."

My grin turned back into a scowl. "THAT theif?!?! He'll eat all of it before I even get a chance to cook it! Where is he?"

"By the river, I think he got a deer or something. Looks kind of deformed, though. Have no clue what it is."

"Oh, that's great. He probably killed some newly discovered animal that's never been seen before. At least he already cut the thing open so the people can disect it easier" I grumbled and raced in the direction that Hart pointed out.

"Hey! Wait for-" he began but I was already too deep into the woods for him to catch up easilly. "-me..."

Running to the river, I saw said wolf youkai in his humanoid form with said carcass by his side. I slowed down and cautiously made my way over to him.

"What is that...?" I asked and he looked at me with his yellow eyes. I noticed the blood on his chin and grimaced.

"I dunno. Oh. Sorry. You know how messy hunting is in my wolf form."

I nodded as he wiped the blood off with his hand and washed it in the river. Staring at the carcass I cocked my head to the side, observing it.

"...this... _thing_... what exactly does it look like to you?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Some... I don't know... _thing_...?"

"Hart said it was some sort of deer but I don't see any resemblance..." I muttered and he nodded in agreement.

"Looks like some sort of... lion...?"

"I think it looks like a rat..."

"That too..."

"I think its some oversized, deformed rat."

I heard a sigh behind us and I turned to see Shade.

"It's called a capabara" he commented. "Congratulations Umbra, you just murdered one of the last of an endangered species..."

"A what...?" Umbra asked, gray hair falling into his eyes.

"You just killed one of the last of an endangered species, as in there aren't many of them left, and the government is probably going to hunt you down once they find out about this."

"...oh. Then what do I do with it?"

"Get rid of it" Shade and I stated at the same time.

"But I spent so long tracking it down!" he whined.

"Then eat it" we both replied at the same time and he gave a childish smile.

"Don't mind if I do, then!" he laughed and lifted it up, carrying the thing away.

"So much for breakfast..." I sighed and Shade chuckled.

"I'll hunt something down to eat, don't worry. We _will _have a meal, and I'll make sure that some random people don't hunt us down for it like they're going to do with Umbra."

Laughing, I nodded and he left, ruffling my hair as he did so. When I thought he was out of hearing distance, I looked at the sky, smiling.

"I love you, Shade... come back safely..."

------------------------------Shade----------------------------------

When I was far enough from Kagome, I stopped and quickly took in my surroundings.

"You can come out now!" I hollered, "Come out of hiding, I know you're there!"

The man, Creed, stepped out of the shadows and looked at me.

"How harsh..." he mused and I felt confusion fill me.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.

"How harsh that bond you hold with her must be..." he clarified, circling me. I narrowed my eyes at his statement.

"You must be talking about someone else."

"No, I am quite certain that the people I'm speaking of are Kagome and you. Forced to run circles around eachother, never meeting, all because of a stupid bond" he spat. "It sickens me."

"We hold this bond dear, Creed. Do not judge us. A filthy person like you cannot understand how we feel, or how much this bond means to us."

"I weep for Kagome, not you, demon. Forced to live a shorter life every time you get hurt, just so you can survive. That is why you lived the other day, is it not?"

"Clarify what you mean by 'other day', Creed."

"The day you fought with Kuroi." I felt my eyes widen and he halted, showing a smirk. "Oh yes, Shade, I was there. I saw how you were impaled, and I'm proud to say that I also saw Kagome's face turn white as a sheet when it happened. You lived because you took her life away. She couldn't even decide for herself if she wanted you to take it or not. You just stole it."

"She made her decision long ago. She knew what the bond meant and she accepted the conditions when-"

"But don't you think she regrets it now? Do you ever wonder if she ever thinks back on it now and wonders if it were really a good idea to accept it?" he began to circle me again.

"I have no need to. She could tell me to end it any time she wanted to and I would. I know that I'm stealing her life, and I know that she will regret it at times, but she knows that I would gladly die for her if she wanted her freedom."

"Then die!"

"You can't command me like that, human. Kagome is the only one that I take orders from."

"So, a filthy demon like you has lowered yourself to a slave, have you? It is worthy of your kind, to grovel at our feet. You do not deserve to live."

"I may not deserve it, but Kagome has accepted me, and I will live for her."

"Then what would you do if you were about to die, demon, and were living off of her time alone?"

"I would sacrafice myself by breaking the bonds and set her free."

There was a searing pain in my chest and I cried out. "Then never turn your back on me" he hissed in my ear and then he was gone. I fell to my knees, panting, and held my injured area. Pulling my hand away, I saw it soaked in blood. I cursed under my breath when I felt my youki burning. It was poisoned...

"Let my guard down for one second..." I groaned. "dammit..." Looking at my bracelet, I was debating whether or not to break the seal that held the bond. Kagome's voice drove all thoughts out of my mind, though, and that thought quickly became void. When she showed herself, her face was normal, so I knew that I wasn't close to dying quite yet.

"Shade!" she gasped and ran to my side, gently touching the wound. "I felt another presence leaving the area and I got worried... what happened to you?"

"Made a very stupid mistake" I laughed and got slowly got to my feet. My vision spun, however, and my knees weakened. Shutting my eyes, I stumbled backwards into a tree.

"Shade!" Kagome screamed as I collapsed to the ground in a heap, my knees buckling from under me.

_Dammit... this poison spreads a lot faster than I thought it would_... staring dully at Kagome, I felt my eyelids droop. I fought to stay concious but didn't have much success.

To Be Continued...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Shade, Raze, Skye, Hart, and Umbra are my own characters. All others do not belong to me.

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 9

'Thoughts'

"Talking"

-----Kagome-----

After bringing Shade back to the cabin, I called for Skye. When she appeared, I gave a shaky smile.

"What happened to Shade...?" she whispered and I looked at his pained face on the bed.

"I don't know... I found him like this... I'm really worried, though..."

"Why don't you stay here and take care of him while I go and buy some supplies?"

"I can't let you do that" I said and she looked at me, confused.

"Why not?"

"I have to go to work and get more money. I"m broke and I can't afford anything. I have to go to work and earn us some money so we can buy some bandages for Shade... possibly even hire a doctor..."

"...okay, okay... you do that... go to work, just make sure that you don't get hurt in the process, okay?"

"Yeah... but I'll be home late. I'm thinking about going shopping for the supplies right after work."

"Don't, Kagome. It'll be too dark out if you do that."

"But-"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of Shade, and he'll be fine. You go to work today, and I'll buy the supplies tomorrow while you're earning some more money, okay?"

"...fine..." I mumbled and walked out of the cabin. After I got out, I ran as fast as I could to the pub and saw Sango.

"Kagome!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been?!"

"I've been home sick. Sorry if I worried you. I'm going to go back and change, check in, and I'll be working in a little bit."

She nodded and I walked into the backroom. Pulling my work uniform off of the hanger, I began to change. After I got into the uncomfortable attire, I began to put my hair up. I was about to put the ribbon on when a sharp pain shot through my entire boddy, ending at my heart and staying there. Stifling a yelp and whimper, I collapsed to the ground, panting. A flash of color out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I glanced at the once gold bracelet. It was silver. Worry and panic washed over me. It only turned silver when Shade was taking my time to survive. That meant that Shade would have died right now, but the bond was what kept him alive. Ignoring the pain, I struggled to my feet and took a deep breath. Finishing up, I walked back to the restaurant and began my job.

--------Shade---------

I woke up to the sound of angry shouts and I cracked my eye open. Turning my head, I saw Skye arguing with Kagome.

"What do you mean you can't find any store that has medical supplies?! There has to be one!" Kagome shouted and Skye shook her head.

"I can't find any!"

"But what are we going to do! We're out of bandages, and we don't have any money so we can't bring him to a hospital to get checked!"

"I don't know! I'm just as worried as you are!"

"Are you arguing over me...?" I mumbled and they both looked at me.

"Shade..." Kagome whispered, relieved. She looked tired for some reason...

"Are you okay, Kagome...?" I asked and she walked over to me.

"I'm just fine, Shade. Don't worry about me" she repled softly, placing the palm of her hand on my forehead. "Good, your fever seems to have gone down."

"But you look so tired, Kagome..." I murmured and she gave a small smile.

"Don't worry about me... I've just been stressed because of the condition you're in... It'll be okay now that your fever is fading."

"Why don't you just tell him?" Skye grumbled and Kagome flinched.

"What aren't you telling me...?" I asked and Kagome looked down sadly at me.

"I'm still paying off the debt I owe Kouga for breaking his mug, and the little money that I get to keep isn't enough for a doctor. I gave the money to Skye and she went out to look for some medical supplies but she can't find any... I don't know what to do anymore...! I"ve been going to the pub earlier and coming back later to get us some more money but we still don't have nearly enough!"

"...It's fine, Kagome... I won't die... yet..."

She gave a small smile and nodded. "I know... that's why I'm trying to calm down... but you've been sleeping for a week with a burning hot fever... now that you're up, I don't know how to react..."

"Its all okay, right Kagome? That's what you said. Everything is going to work out so don't worry, okay?"

She nodded again and stood up. "Do you want to see if you can stand?" she asked and I took her hand. She tried to lift me to my feet but I was still too weak. I fell to my knees and she kneeled down beside me. Setting me back down on the bed, she sighed. "Rest some more, Shade... you'll be better in no time..."

Obeying, I shut my eyes as she left. After hearing the door click shut behind her, however, I opened my eyes and forced my arm in front of my face so that I could see the bracelet. My heart dropped when I saw that it was silver. Letting my arm drop, I glanced at the door.

"...why, Kagome...?"

-----Kagome------

The next day after I came back home from work, I saw Shade staring up at the dark ceiling of the cabin. When the door clicked open, he looked at me with a slight look of disappointment.

"Why are you doing this? Why don't you just break the bond and use me as a sacrafice? I won't live..." he asked and I lowered my gaze.

"You're status has been improving, Shade... I still have hope, I still think that you'll make it through this..."

"At the cost of your own life!" he argued.

"But I want you to live!"

"It doesn't matter if I go! If I disappear! Nobody will miss me!"

"I'll miss you, Shade! Have you ever thought about that?! I l-" I stopped myself midsentence, throwing my gaze to the floor... I had almost said it... I had almost said the three forbidden words...

"...Kagome...?" Shade called softly and I looked at him. He weakly motioned me over and I sat down beside him. "Why did you make the bond with me?" he asked and I stared out the window as I began to answer.

"I made the bond with you because I was desparate to get out of the cell after being stuck in there for three days... that was the only reason back then..."

"And now?" he asked quietly and I looked at him.

"I keep the bond now because I don't want to live a life where you aren't by my side..."

"And you expect me to do the same?" he asked and I once again moved my gaze elsewhere. "Kagome..." he said quietly and I glanced at him.

"Yeah, Shade...?" I asked.

"Kagome!" a voice suddenly shouted and I turned my head towards the noise.

"Skye?" I whispered as I got up. "I'll be right back, Shade."

"But-"

I was out the door before he could finish the sentence. I raced towards the noise, my heart still pounding from the shock that I almost said the words... the words that would break the bond and end either my or Shade's life in the process... I felt like I was running forever when I finally saw Skye. She ran over to me, excited.

"I found a doctor, Kagome! He said that he would look at Shade for free and that-"

Gasping in the middle of her sentence, I gripped my chest above my heart. It felt so empty... Skye took it as a sign of excitement, however, and continued.

"-he'll be here in a few days!"

A tear rolled down my cheek. What was wrong with me? I never cried... I never cried once... not since...

"I know! Isn't it great?!"

I dropped to my knees and began to tremble. Holding myself, I felt a sudden chill wash over me.

"...Kagome...? are you okay...?"

A small 'clink' was heard and I looked at the ground, spotting what had made the noise. The bracelet was shattered, and on the ground in a million pieces. My heart dropped and I felt more tears rolling down my cheeks. I felt so... shocked... so empty... so terrified... I got to my feet and raced back to the cabin. It had taken me 3 minutes to get to where Skye was, so it would take me about three minutes to get back. When I saw the small brown house in front of me, I pushed myself more. Slamming the door open, I saw that the bed was empty.

"No!" I gasped and scanned the area around me. There was a slow movement to my right. It was clumsy and stiff. Running out of the house, I flew towards the direction I saw the movement in. Seeing Shade in front of me, I picked up my pace and skidded to a halt in front of him. He gazed at me with his dull eyes and I shook my head.

"Why...?" I whispered.

"...you need to live..." he replied weakly, falling to his knees. I fell to mine in front of him and he collapsed on top of me, his head resting on my shoulder. Slowly turning his head, I felt his breath on my neck. He nuzzled it and I leaned my head against his.

"Please don't leave me..." I whispered and he I felt him breathe in, taking a deep breath. "What are you doing...?" I asked.

"Memorizing your scent... smelling you one last time... so that I can find you when you also leave this world..."

"...Shade... don't say that..."

Struggling to push away, he looked at me with his piercing gold eyes. Taking my hand in his, he placed it against my heart.

"Guard it well, Kagome... the breaking of the bond that we had created is a harsh thing to go through... if you don't guard yourself... you'll end up like a demon in bloodlust..."

"I wouldn't have to guard it if you didn't break the bond..."

He gave a weak laugh and bumped his forehead against mine. He leaned closer, his lips nearing mine.

"Well... since this is my fault..." he began, the next part he whispered against my lips. "I'll have to guard it for you, won't I? Afterall... I love you..." He weakly pressed his lips against mine and I felt my eyes widen in shock. I began to kiss him back and felt a tear rolling down my cheek. I wrapped my arms around his neck in a hug and pulled away. I rested my head on his shoulder as he did the same to me and I felt him weakly grasp one of my hands. I let go of his neck with that hand and held his in mine. He began to tremble and I heard his ragged breathing. Moisture soaked through my clothing and I hugged him closer with one arm as my other hand held his hand tighter.

"I'm scared..." he whimpered and I felt myself beginning to tremble, tears rolling down my cheeks. His trembling suddenly stopped. "...but for some reason... I'm happy..." he whispered. "...I'll wait for you, Kagome... I promise you that..."

I felt his breathing stop and I slowly let go of his hand, wrapping it around his neck again. I hugged him tighter and felt my tears streaming down my face as I let out helpless sobs. I felt so empty... his warmth was gone... I couldn't feel him anymore... when he was still alive, his pulse was inside my heart, I could feel his heart beating alongside mine. I had gotten used to the feeling, and now it was gone. I felt... _alone_...

It had been so long since I felt this way... the last time I had felt like this was when my father had killed the only thing I ever cared for when I was a child... my friend was a _demon_... to be exact... he had killed Raze... Yes... my father was the one that had sent Kuroi to kill Raze and Shade. I had mourned for Raze as if I were of his own family... and his death was what caused my hatred towards Wilgar... and now... now Shade was gone too. I couldn't take it... I _wouldn't _take it... I felt myself losing myself to the side-effects of the broken bond and forced myself to stop thinking like that.

'No! I have to live normally for Shade... I have to guard my heart... I have to protect myself...' A vision of a person fighting Shade appeared in my mind and I immediately knew who had caused the injury Shade had recieved.

'I have to kill Creed.'

To Be Continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Own nothing except the dead character Shade, Skye, Kuroi, Umbra and the other guy, but I forgot his name, lol... Hart! That was it, Hart...

It took me a really long time to update, I know, and I'm sorry. I'm working on updating all the stories that I haven't worked on in a long time, and I had a few good ideas for this so, meh. Enjoy!!!!

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 10

firefox369

"Kagome, what are you- oh" Skye mumbled softly when she saw Shade's lifeless body beside me. I stared blankly at his calm, relaxed face and clenched a clod of dirt in my hand, squeezing it as hard as I could. I was going to kill Creed... I was going to kill Creed if it was the last thing I did. I stood up and began to walk deeper in to the woods, ignoring Skye's calls and shouts as she stood by Shade, not knowing what to do. "At least tell me what you're going to do!!!" she shouted.

"Train" I replied. "Improve."

"What about Shade?! Are you just-"

I turned my head and sent her the coldest glare I could manage. I knew what I was doing, even if it meant leaving Shade there. Not like I would be returning here any time soon anyways, I would be gone for at least a year or two. If Creed could inflict fatal wound on Shade then I wasn't even close to being ready yet. I smirked. I was still curious about how far I still had to go, though...

Gathering my energy, I then teleported to Chronos Numbers HQ, looking for Creed. When I didn't see him I teleported back out, not wanting to be seen by Wilgar. I waited in a random street, knowing that he would come and find me, and thought over how I would escape if I needed to. I didn't have to wait long before Creed showed himself and I pulled out my gun, aiming it at him.

"You..." I growled and he smirked.

"I'm assuming that your little puppy died?" he sneered and I fired, my anger getting the best of me. He dodged it with ease. "Yes. I'm guessing that he did."

"I'll kill you!!!" I shouted as he kicked the gun out my hand and pulled out a katana. I dodged his advances and fired again. It was dark out, the moon was high in the sky, and I knew that Train had a mission tonight. Good. He wouldn't get in the way of our little fight. When a random black cat appeared, though, I scowled. Maybe I had thought too soon.

"Train has gone soft because of you" he growled and I once again dodged his sword, firing when I thought there was an opening. He quickly moved his sword up to block the bullet and it bounced off, flying in to the ground.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, dodging another slice.

"Don't play stupid, you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"No I don't!"

"Saya?!" a voice exclaimed and I turned my head to see Train. There was a searing pain in my chest and I swore under my breath. Damn that Train, if he hadn't showed I wouldn't have gotten stabbed! Creed smirked and ripped the sword out. I screamed and fell to my knees. Was this how Shade felt? I could understand why Shade wanted to die now, this hurt like _HELL_. Raising my head a tiny bit, eyes squinting in pain, I saw Creed staring at me with a sadistic smile on his face.

"And now, you join your precious pet in hell" he chuckled, raising his katana again.

"NO!" Train screamed. He wasn't one of those guys with the high-pitched screams, he was one of those guys with the screams that only raise the volume of their voice, not the pitch. I lowered my head and smiled, creating a decoy and teleporting away just as Creed swung his sword down and stabbed 'my' heart. I had to stay nearby, though, otherwise the decoy would disappear.

"Creed!" Train shouted, hopping off the building and glaring at said man with most fierce pair of gold eyes I had ever seen. "Why?" he demanded and I heard Creed laugh.

"You were turning girly, I needed to get rid of her before you completely lost yourself in that perverse fantasy of yours."

"The one with the perverse fantasy is _You_" Train snarled, pulling out Hades and aiming it at Creed. "I'll kill you."

"How ironic, to hear those words from both the girl and you on the same night. Maybe you'll end up with the same fate as her?"

"Shut up!" Train growled, finger starting to squeeze the trigger.

"You wouldn't shoot me, now would you?" Creed asked softly and Train pulled the trigger without hesitating. Creed blocked it with his sword and it bounced off flying into to the ground. "Maybe you would."

Train snarled and lunged shooting Creed again. Creed dodged all of the bullets and sliced, ripping Train's sleeve. Train appeared behind him and fired once again but Creed ducked and attempted to kick Train's legs out from under him. Train hopped back and fired again but Creed dodged and turned around, running off. There was the noise of police sirens nearby and Train looked at my dead decoy one last time, a strange look in his eyes as he wiped the blood off the decoys mouth and shut its eyes, before running off just as the police turned the corner.

----Train----

I slammed the door of Wilgar's office open and stormed in, and placing my blood-stained hands on his desk. Not just anybody's blood, though. _Saya's_. Wilgar stared at me with a tiny bit of shock in his eyes.

"Creed" I growled.

"What about him?"

"Kill him."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?!" I demanded, "He killed Saya!!!"

"I still can't."

"Why?!"

"You're part of the Chronos Numbers, Train, you know why."

I glared, gritting my teeth. "Then I quit."

"What? you can't just-"

"I hereby resign myself from the position as XIII of the Chronos Numbers" I snarled.

"You know that it doesn't work like that, Heartnet" Wilgar growled and I stared coldly at him.

"I don't care."

"What are you going to do? The only thing you know how to do is kill."

"I'll be a sweeper, then."

"Sweepers don't make much money."

"Does it look like I care?" I snarled and stepped away from his desk, "I quit." I walked out of his office and slammed the door shut behind me. I made my way down the hallway when a voice stopped me.

"So, you're resigning?"

I turned to look at Number I, the leader of the numbers, and nodded. "Yeah."

She sighed. "You really liked her, didn't you?"

"Don't try to stop me from leaving."

"I'm not, I'm just here to wish you good luck. Also, I'll try not to, but if we need you back I won't hesitate to look for you."

"I'll remember that."

---two years later---

I stared at the reward notice for Creed that No. I and II had placed on the table in front of me. 3 billion...

_As long as you do not kill Creed, her soul will be unable to attain redemption_.

"...Saya..." I whispered, my mind in a haze. What was I supposed to do? It was a chance to get revenge on Creed for waht he did to her... but it was 3 billion if he was alive, not dead... I wanted to kill him, not just turn him in. I wanted him _dead_, not in _prison_. I groaned, looking at the floor while deep in gthought. I would sleep on it.

---A few days later, Kagome---

I smiled. I had never seen Heartnet so mad before, not since... my face fell a little bit.

_Not since Shade died... Perhaps this Durham has harmed someone close to him?_ Train left without killing Durham and I scowled. Why would he just leave the man like that? I heard him mutter something about 'Eve' and I smiled knowingly. So, it was a girl. I walked out of the shadows after Train disappeared into the woods, his sillhouette gone.

"Who are you?" Durham asked weakly as I stood over him, my violet eyes staring coldly in to his, and raised my Beretta 93R, aiming it at him. "What do you want with me?"

"You work for Creed" I stated.

"So what if I do?"

"Tell him that 'Saya' is back from hell and that she misses him, would you?" I growled, shooting his arm. He cried out in pain and I smirked, yanking him to his feet. "Go, before I killl you and decide to visit Creed myself."

He stumbled off and I twirled the gun around my finger, debating whether to let him live or not. He might get stronger and cause trouble for me later on, so it might have been a better idea to shoot him down then and there, but I wouldn't degrade myself that much. Killing people while they were weak was what Creed did. Not me.

"Pathetic..." I mumbled, "Using such cowardly means to kill Train, even injuring a woman in the process... how stupid can your people be, Creed?" I growled, kicking the man's face mask in the air and aiming, shooting it with practiced ease, and it shattered in to a million pieces. I fired a few more times at the largest piece, breaking it smaller and smaller until it was dust. "...Come on, Creed... I'm waiting for you. Where could you possibly be hiding?" I asked, walking away and deciding to leave the bullet shells there for the Kitty to see. Who knows, maybe he still remembered the type of gun I absolutely loved.

---Train---

I heard gunshots from the woods where I had just walked out of and I couldn't help but feel curious. I turned back around and retraced my steps until I reached the familar area where the man had once stood. Blood stained the dirt and I noticed that he was gone, a trail of blood left in his wake. That's when I remembered about the mask he wore and I saw a piece of etal. I walked over to it and recognized it as a tiny piece of metal that had been left over from the mask. the ground around it sparkled with fine, metallic dust and I grew even more curious.

I circled the clearing a few times and noticed bullet shells that I knew weren't from Hades. Lifting them up, I studied them and I squinted my eyes in recognition. Why would they be here...? Durham didn't use this type of gun, hell, he didn't even need bullets, and Saya... she died long ago...

"Beretta 93R..." I whispered, then looked at the specks of metal. "No, it can't be Saya..." My blood began to boil when i remembered another woman I knew two years ago. "Definitely her... number XIV... has to be..."

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Friendly Rivalry

Chapter 11

firefox369

-----Normal POV----

"So, you've finally decided to come, back, huh, Durham?" Creed asked, glancing at the gunman in front of him. "Would you mind telling me where you've been?" Durham held his arm in pan, wincing. He didn't seem to want to answer at all. "Perhaps I should force it out of you?"

"A woman" Durham began. Creed remained emotionless, his pupil-less eyes staring into Durham's.

"A woman?"

"S-saya" he stuttered, "a woman named Saya, she told me to tell you that she was still alive and that-"

"Saya. You must be mistaken, I killed her long ago" Creed interrupted.

"She told me to tell you that she was back from hell and- URK!" A thin line formed in the center of his body before he gushed out blood and fell to the floor, dead. Creed's eyes widened in amusement before a sadistic grin formed on his face.

"Saya, the poor girl, I wonder if she found a new puppy for me to obliterate" he chuckled before putting his sword away and turning around. "We should give her a welcoming party to greet her on her escape from hell."

"What kind of girl is she, in order to escape from the depths hell?"

"Sharden, you sound uncertain about my plans" Creed mused, lifting his glass of wine to his lips and taking a sip.

"No normal human can escape from death." Creed glanced at him, smirk broadening into a full-out smile.

"Which is why we need to give her a party, ne? The poor, poor, girl. Alone for so long... I wonder how she's doing after two years. Does she even care about the puppy anymore, I wonder?"

"Puppy?" Kirisaki asked.

"Yes, the poor demon. Never even reached the age of one hundred before I killed him" Creed sighed, faking sympathy. His expression quickly turned dark, though, and he sneered. "We should began the preparations for her, then, shouldn't we? After all, we don't know when she'll show herself."

-----Train------

"Train, you okay? you've been out of it lately." I snapped out of my daydreaming and realised that I had been glaring a hole through the street's pavement. I immediately stopped and looked up at Sven.

"Huh? Of, yeah, I'm fine" I replied, ignoring the look of uncertainty on his face, and lowered my gaze to glare at the pavement once again, squeezing the bullet shell in my hand.

"Sure you are, what's bothering you? Still that Apostle of the Stars? What's his name, Durham? You usually wouldn't worry over something like that."

"No."

"Then what?"

I tossed the shell at him. "What gun is this from?" I inquired.

"Looks like it's from a Beretta 93R but I could be mistaken. Why?"

"Saya. That model was her favorite gun, she absolutely loved it. I found it the other day when I heard some gunshots in the forest and went back to check it out. No one was there, obviously, but Durham's mask was turned to dust."

"And that's what's bothering you?" he asked and I hesitated before nodding.

"Part of it."

"And what's the other part?" he inquired and I sighed, draining half the milk from the glass in front of me. I really didn't want to talk about it, but I decided to inform him this time.

"When I was still a Time Guardian for Chronos, all the numbers recieved credit for missions that they never completed. _Thousands_, no, at least _hundreds _of thousands of the missions that were given to the numbers were never accomplished by us, but we were given credit anyways. Wilgar eventually told us what was going on and called us in to an 'emergency meeting' in which he explained everything, and told us to a room number in the building that was banned to everyon except him. When we entered we found a girl."

"A girl."

I nodded. "A girl and a wolf. The girl had wierd attributes, her canine teeth were longer than usual, she had violet eyes, the most realistic growls you would be able to hear from a human, and an affinity with animals. The girl was an amazing fighter, could've killed me in two seconds, but she didn't and told me to improve, so I did."

"Huh. The Black Cat was beaten by a girl?"

"She had the roman numeral fourteen tattooed on to her left thigh, Sven. She was a Time Guardian, but she was founded before me."

"But that would mean that Wilgar completely skipped XIII and went straight to XIV."

"I think he done it on purpose and that Wilgar had never intended to show her to us from the start. He was using her."

"So, what happened to this 'girl'?"

"She ran away. No ads were posted, though, because no one would be able to catch her. Any sweepers that tried would be dead before they even realised she was in front of them." I took the bullet shell back from Sven and played with it. "She used a Beretta 93R, too, but she was also a master in all other weaponry. Name a weapon and she knew a hundred ways to kill a person with it. I'm sure that if you asked, she would have showed you how, too."

"She's that dangerous?"

"Yes, but I'll have to end the conversation here because" I stood up and pulled out Hades, turning around and aiming it at a man behind me, "we have an unwanted stalker."

"You truly are Train Heartnet, aren't you?" the man mused and I scowled.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?"

----Kagome----

A huge castle loomed in front of me and I just stood there, disgust on my face. Creed really needed to find a different palce to hav a welcoming party, this was so... _cliche_. He could have invited me somehwere else, but a castle? All the evil, disgusting people fight in huge gothic castles. I mean, there was Dracula, Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, Kurei from Flame of Recca, Suzaku and the others in Yu Yu Hakusho, Ganandorf from Zelda, Adel from Final Fantasy VIII, etc., etc., etc... Yeah, he reeaaallllyyy needed to change things up a tiiinnnyyy bit. But he had called me here, right? So I guess I had no choice but to enter if I wanted to get rid of him for good, which I _really_ wanted to do.

I sighed and shoved the front doors open, letting them shut behind me. Huh, no greeting? I felt so degraded. I wasn't even worth a 'hello' anymore? I scowled and made my way up the staircase in front of me, truly upset (not). I eventually stopped in front of one of the only _actual_ doors in the castle and stepped inside, too bored out of my mind to check for traps or possible ambushes. They couldn't kill me no matter how hard they tried. My feet led me in to the center of the room and I sighed, dropping my head in annoyance.

"You invite me here and you don't even give me a proper welcome? I'm crushed" I stated monotonously, knowing that Creed was right behind me.

"So, you really are alive" a voice mused and I sighed again, turning around to face him.

"To your displeasure, I'm sure."

"No, this is really a treat."

More presences filled the room and I pulled out my guns, one in each hand, not even looking as I shot at them all. When my guns finally ran out of bullets was when I finally stopped shooting, and I smirked when I felt that they were all still alive.

"You have some very interesting followers, Creed" I commented, dropping the Uzis and stuffing my hands in my pockets, a little cold. "Don't you have heating in here? It's quite chilly, or maybe its because of that stupid wind user you've got there."

"You've turned into an interesting young lady, haven't you? How old are you now?"

"None of your business."

"But I'm curious."

"Nineteen" I finally replied, albeit extremely boredly. I hunched my shoulders when the wind grew worse and I concentrated my energy into my pointer finger, aiming it at the wind kid. The point of my finger glowed menacingly, the energy threatening to burst at any moment. "Enough with the wind, already, kiddo. I'd stop right now if I were you, just so I wouldn't get knocked out by a stupid ball of energy."

"As if that tiny thing could hurt me."

"Want to find out?" I snarled, glaring at him.

"Sure, why not!" he taunted.

"Leon, shut up before I kill you" Creed growled, "You're starting to get intolerable."

"Yes, Creed" Leon grumbled and I smirked.

"Ha, can't go against him, huh?" I teased, "pathetic."

"Then why are _you_ here?"

"To kill him, obviously" I spat, turning to look at Creed again. "So, shall we get this started?"

"I do believe we have a guest" he stated as a woman entered the room. "Ah, yes, Rinslet Walker."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "Are you going to fight me or not?" I snapped and he snapped his fingers. The bandaged up guy came charging at me and I easilly dodged him, along with his tiny little insects. The insect came flying at me and I created a barrier, making them all disintegrate the moment they touched it. The other people tried to reach me with their powers of Tao, and I felt a pressure on the barrier, but I added more power to it and the pressure quickly faded.

"Come on, Creed, you have to be able to do better than that" I scoffed and he turned to face me.

"Leon, Sharden, Maro, it's time for you to greet our other guests from the Chronos organization, don't you think?"

"Don't ignore me you sadistic freak!" I shouted and he looked at me, pulling out a sword with no blade. So that was his 'power of Tao', huh? Well, I could do that too, and I didn't need to drink the stupid liquid in order to do it. He swung it at me and I pulled out a sword of my own, blocking it with ease. He smirked, amused.

"This'll be fun" he chuckled and my eyes glazed over a tiny bit as I left my emotions behind and went completely in to 'battle mode'. If he wanted a challenge, I'd give him a stupid challenge. He began to lunge but suddenly stopped, standing up straight again. I dodged a random attack from behind when I felt a woman suddenly appear there. 'Gate'. Who needed that stupid thing when you could teleport? I teleported behind her the next time she appeared and grabbed her neck, shoving her against the wall.

"That's getting really damn annoying" I informed, scowling, and I created a barrier as another attack from behind was tried. I created energy in my finger and aimed it in a direction where a menacing presence was coming from. The energy burst and it hit the 'Decay' guy, knocking him out. Creed's laughter filled the air and I let the woman go, turning to look at him.

"What the hell is so funny? I demanded and he laughed more. He had gone insane. Yep. He had gone insane.

"You are truly something" he laughed before turning around. "I would love to fight you but I've got some Time guardians to dispose of."

"Such as?"

"Not your little kitty, I assure you."

"Shall we assign another time in which I will have the chance to destroy you and rip you apart limb by limb?" I growled through my clenched teeth and he sneered.

"I'll send word to you."

"You better" I growled before teleporting out of the place just in time to see Train running inside. "The liar, the 'Kitty' is too here!"

A girl was lying outside and I couldn't help but feel curious. The man beside her mumbled 'Eve' and my eyes widened in shock. The gunner had hurt a _girl_! A _child_! Ohhhh, Creed wasn't going to get away with that.

"Screw waiting for him to send for me, I'm killing him right now!" I snarled, teleporting back into the castle and tracking him down. He had sent a guy to find Train and fight Train by injuring a _little girl_!!!!!! That moron! Weakling! Coward!

"Train!" Creed exclaimed and I looked up to see Train looking out from one of the other ledges across from me. "Oh, yes, and Saya. I'm so glad to see that you've come back so soon."

"Saya?" Train mumbled before looking up at me. His eyes bulged and I jumped down from the ledge and in front of Creed, not injured in the slightest as I ignored Train. Train could wait.

"You sent a man to harm a child in order to get to Train?" I growled, eyes squinting in anger.

"Ahh, so _that's_ how Durham got Train looking for him" Creed thought out loud and I forced out a fake sounding snarl, baring my canines that were illusioned to look normal for now.

"You coward." The woman from before appeared behind me and I scowled, placing up a barrier just in time to block her attack. "Give it up, lady" I stated coldly, grabbing her arm and throwing her to the floor, "You're a hundred years too early if you want to fight me."

"You've gotten better since I last saw you" Creed finally commented.

"No, I wasn't trying last time."

"But I killed you."

"No you didn't. If you killed me then I wouldn't be here right now."

"Saya...?" Train mumbled from above and I looked at him. Creed's 'Imagine Blade' changed and he slashed at me. I stood there and grabbed it, not minding the fact that it was trying to bite my hand off. Not like it could hurt me anyways.

"Begone, stupid demon" I grumbled, purifying it back to the first level of the blade. "Annoying." I looked at the people behind me. "Take the girl and run" I commanded but they just stood there, looking at me. "Did you not here me you morons?! Take the girl and get out of here!"

"Nanomachines? No... can't be Tao, either..." a man mumbled and I turned to see him taking down notes.

"What the hell are you mumbling about?" I snapped and Creed slashed at me again. I dodged, swearing under my breath. "Three against one? That's unfair!" I whined playfully, enjoying this. I hadn't had a challenge like this since two years ago. If this could be called a challenge. I teleported behind him and pulled out a dagger, slashing him. He dodged so I didn't completely cut him in half, but I got an arm. He smirked before pressing something. The entire castle began to shake and I once again swore under my breath, taking the two closest people and teleporting them out to a safe distance, dropping them, then telepoting back inside to repeat the process with the two remaining, and, lastly, with Train. A car drove up to us and i saw the man from before, along with the girl, step out.

"Saya" Train mumbled, still in a slight state of shock. "You... you died, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Guess I've got some explaining to do, huh?" I laughed nervously and the other numbers nodded, knwoing exactly who I was. I sighed.


End file.
